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.
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!
Research Resources:
Active Aging and Public Health: Evidence, Implications, and Opportunities
Benefit of human moderate running boosting mood and executive functioncoinciding with bilateral prefrontal activation
Exercise and Mental Health
Lieberman, D. (2020). Exercised : why something we never evolved
to do is healthy and rewarding. Pantheon Books.
Physical Exercise and Mental Health: The Routes of a Reciprocal Relation
