How training keeps you
happy!
By Master Trainer Kamal
from Legends Gym
Team Bodybuilding
Mauritius contributing Writer
Endorphins, the body’s own
opiate-like chemicals, have long been held responsible for the so-called
exercise ‘high’, and experts once thought that we needed to tough it out at a
certain intensity, for a given length of time, in order to ‘flick the switch’
and get an endorphin boost. For example, a report in the journal Physician and
Sports Medicine concluded that to get an exercise ‘high’, you have to work at
76% of your maximum heart rate, and may need to keep going for two hours or more.
But with some exercise fanatics blissing out by doing much less work, and
others putting in even greater amounts of effort to no avail, researchers began
to realise that the formula wasn’t so simple.
The endorphins
Endorphins play much of a
part in exercise that makes us feel good. This is because there are two
endorphin systems in the body – one in the blood circulatory system, and the
other in the brain. And although it’s been proven that endorphin levels in the
blood increase in response to exercise, those endorphins can’t cross the
‘blood-brain barrier’, so wouldn’t necessarily have much of an effect on mood.
So what is putting that
smile on your face when you work out? Researchers now believe that there are a
multitude of factors at work – both physiological and psychological.
Going for exercise goals
Simplest of all is the
idea that the sense of accomplishment or ‘mastery’ we get from undertaking a
challenging workout leaves us aglow, thats why as from now,i will personally
set challenges just like our 'abs challenge'. It boosts feelings of self-esteem
by demonstrating that we can achieve our goals. But of course,challenge is a
personal thing – and it’s important that the level of intensity is pitched just
right. If exercise is too easy then we won’t feel we’ve achieved much – whereas
if the exercise is too hard we may become stressed and uncomfortable.
In one study, from Kyushu
University in Japan, runners who completed ten to 15 minute runs at a
self-selected pace – rather than sprinting all-out – successfully enhanced their
mood. And backing up the idea that you don’t need to put yourself through a
near-death experience to get a ‘high’, Indiana University found that even
low-intensity aerobic activity (40% of maximum capacity) could assist anxiety
reduction and promote a more positive mood.
Another potential
explanation for the workout buzz is the warmth it created in the body, which –
like a hot bath – helps muscles to relax and tension to dissipate. But we can’t
rule out chemicals entirely. Nor are endorphins the only substances that
respond to exercise. For example, exercise can preventserotonin being taken
back up by brain tissue, just like some anti-depressant drugs. It also has an
affect on levels of adrenaline and dopamine.
Getting ‘high’ through
exercise?
If you’ve yet to
experience that magical feeling during or after exercise, make sure that your
sessions aren’t too easy or too hard, that you gain a sense of accomplishment
from completing them, and that you enjoy the activity.
Bear in mind that getting
an exercise ‘high’ may be a question of definition – one person’s
‘pleasantness’ may be another’s ‘total ecstasy’! To prove the point, in a study
that asked marathon runners to describe their experience of the runner’s
‘high’, the most frequently picked phrase was ‘general happiness’. There’s no
harm in aiming for nirvana!
Whether or not you’ve
experienced the famed ‘buzz’ during exercise that makes you feel as if you
could go on forever, you will probably agree that exercise can generally boost
your mood and energy levels. So get exercising!
Regards: Kamal.
About the Author:
Kamal is a master personal
trainer with a uk license to train trainers , sports specific coach, writer,
speaker & lectures in the fitness circuit
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