Regular Exercise and How it Effects Our Body!

Good morning everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the nice weather we've been having lately. The last couple weeks have been incredibly busy, as I've been preparing for Cap City and working extra days at the Spa. I have to say, it feels so incredible to get back into running! I didn't realize how much I had missed it, and how much my mood has improved since I started running again. It's my go-to anytime I'm feeling a certain way.

I don't like to spend a lot of time dwelling in pain or depression; not sure this is always a good thing, because it's actually healthy to face your emotions head-on and let them run through you, rather than numbing them. But I typically get up and go for a run when I’m feeling down because it's the quickest way to improve my mood and make me appreciate life again 💗 When I was injured, it didn't really work that well; because, when you're in pain, it's near impossible to get that all desirable runners high.

I wanted to talk a little bit about why we feel good when we exercise and what causes this so called, “runners high.”

When we exercise, we release the “feel good” chemicals Dopamine and Serotonin. Dopamine communicates between nerve cells in our brain and body, while giving us temporary feelings of pleasure and excitement. When we feel a rush of dopamine, we want more and more of it and actually begin to crave it. Serotonin is also a “feel good” chemical but gives us a more stable and long-lasting feeling of happiness, motivation and peace. Serotonin is produced mainly in the gut, and affects our mood, memory, sleep and digestive tract. Both Dopamine and Serotonin are essential for our bodies to function because they impact our mood and can help us live happy, stable lives.

Basically, both chemicals teach us some valuable lessons about action versus reward. It encourages us to do good things for our body and rewards us with feelings of happiness when we do. Unfortunately, when we have an imbalance of these chemicals we can develop an unhealthy relationship with them and overindulge in the things that are meant to be enjoyed in small doses.  

The release of Dopamine and Serotonin serve as natural pain killers when they give us feelings of pleasure, happiness and peace. Giving our body a respite from pain, running and regular exercise can also help improve our mental health by overriding stress, anxiety, depression and sadness, while boosting our mood! What's your go-to when you're feeling down and need a boost in mood? Share your story!