Calluna Running: December 2022

Endogenous drugs are legal, natural and FREE!

Endogenous means produced inside a human cell. An endogenous drug, therefore, is a chemical that originates within the human body and can be generated in response to physical activity. If you have ever heard of “runner’s high” that is an example of how the human body generates endogenous drugs.

Three of the most important endogenous drugs are: dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins.

1. DOPAMINE:

Dopamine is known as the feel-good neurotransmitter—a chemical that ferries information between neurons. This important neurochemical boosts mood, motivation, and attention, and helps regulate movement, learning, and emotional responses. It is designed, from an evolutionary standpoint, to reward you when you’re doing the things you need to do to survive — eat, drink, reproduce and – surprise – engage in physical activity. During these activities your brain releases a large amount of dopamine. You feel good and you seek more of that feeling.

Dopamine receptors in the brain are more active in people who engage in regular physical exercise than people who don’t exercise. Plus, obese people have fewer active dopamine receptors. This means they must “struggle” to become physically active in order to activate their receptors.

But once you get moving and keep moving, you begin to crave physical activity in order to satisfy your dopamine receptors. Ultimately, you experience the benefits of this feel-good neurotransmitter.

2. SEROTONIN:

This neurotransmitter helps to stabilize your mood, as well as your feelings of happiness and well-being. Increased serotonin can help combat depression, anxiety, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Good News! Serotonin levels can be increased naturally by exercising.

As with dopamine, non-exercisers are at risk of low serotonin, making them vulnerable to depression thus unable to overcome the impulse to avoid exercise leading to … you guessed it, low serotonin!

But once you get moving and keep moving regularly, you will have fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than if you didn’t exercise. Moreover, 16 weeks of exercise was found to be just as effective as antidepressant medicine in treating older patients who were not exercising prior to beginning their workout routine.

3. ENDORPHINS:

Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers. These neurotransmitters are natural opioids that help you tolerate the discomfort of exertion. Obviously, your natural opioids are not as strong as morphine or codeine, but they do blunt pain. Endorphins are what allow you to go for a long run or hike without noticing sore muscles. The effects of endorphins can last for hours.

Vigorous physical activity stimulates the production of endorphins, your body's natural painkillers and mood elevators. In order to produce endorphins, you need to engage in at least 20 minutes or more of vigorous, physical activity. Thanks to endorphins, the feelings of relaxation and optimism that accompany many hard workouts lead to a more positive and energizing outlook on life.

Each one of these endogenous drugs provides healthy rewards but there’s a hitch – they primarily reward people who are regularly physically active.

Our ancestors were persistently “exercising” as they literally had to run, walk, and physically work for their food and water. They had a ready supply of endogenous drugs and their daily physical activity ensured that supply was ongoing.

Unfortunately, our brains have not evolved for our modern, sedentary lifestyle. When we are sedentary, our brain produces fewer endogenous drugs - we feel less motivation to move which leads to fewer endogenous drugs … a vicious cycle. We must make ourselves move (exercise) in order to benefit from the endogenous drugs our bodies can produce.

So does this mean you need to run a marathon, bike 100 miles, hike the Grand Canyon, or swim across the English Channel? No, hell, no.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults get at least 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic exercise (walking, hiking, swimming, gardening, dancing, cycling)

or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise (running, fast swimming, hiking briskly uphill, fast cycling, aerobics, most competitive sports) per week.

You should also do strength training activities of moderate to vigorous intensity twice a week and challenge your balance daily.

I agree with G. K. Chesterton who wrote: “For all the fundamental functions of a healthy man ought emphatically to be performed with pleasure and for pleasure; … it is the first law of health that our necessities should not be accepted as necessities; they should be accepted as luxuries.”

In other words, find the physical activity/exercise that you enjoy as your own regular, persistent luxury. All the benefits of endogenous drugs will then be yours!