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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Runner’s High Revisited

Posted October 1st, 2007 at 1:07 PM by Lisa Cieplechowicz

Section: Running & Training, Health & Fitness, Exercise

runner's high HesFit.com, our men’s health and fitness partner site, recently reported that runner’s high was largely caused by the presence and production of endorphins in the human body. Interestingly enough, it turns out this issue isn’t as cut and dry as it may seem. Recent research questions the role of endorphins in the onset of runner’s high and turns instead to other factors to explain this state of temporary euphoria.

Endorphins are hormones, recognized for their morphine-like qualities, that are produced in your body during exercise. As Dr. Owen Anderson in Runner’s World magazine was quoted as saying, it is “[s]tress, either emotional or physical [that] triggers the release of endorphins into the bloodstream.” Intense physical activity, an undeniable cause of stress on the body, is widely recognized as the main trigger in this release of hormones. Consequently, many scientists have come to believe that there is a significant link between the release of endorphins and the elevated moods athletes are in after long, hard workouts.

Read the rest of Lisa’s analysis at our partner site: HesFit.com

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Explaining Runner’s High

Posted September 25th, 2007 at 12:30 PM by Lisa Cieplechowicz

Section: Running & Training, Health & Fitness, Exercise

runner sunset dusk sunrise beautiful Ever feel unusually cheerful after hitting the gym or increasingly confident after finishing up laps at the track? You’re not alone. This state of happiness after exercise is known as “runner’s high,” and has been a point of interest for researchers and athletes for years.The question is, what exactly causes runner’s high? Turns out, it’s all about endorphins.

Quite simply, endorphins are hormones that your body manufactures during exercise that are found mainly in the pituitary gland and nervous system. The interesting thing about endorphins is that they are renowned for having morphine-like qualities. In other words, they act like naturally-produced painkillers and sedatives. And, as exercise is a form of stress on the body, by participating in physical activity you are helping to release surges of endorphins.

To read the rest of this entry, please visit our partner site: HesFit.com

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ASK LARA: Serotonin- Effects, sources, and suggestions for a healthy, active lifestyle

Posted September 8th, 2007 at 5:30 PM by Lara Johnson

Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Columns, Ask Lara

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK LARA!
ASK LARA is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK LARA — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Q. I know that there are specific foods that help serotonin in the brain. What are they? Chocolate is one. Thanks.
~Michelle from Georgia

A. Interesting question. Since I am not a serotonin expert, I turned to some other sources for help in answering this one. Serotonin is defined as:

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) and enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract of animals including humans. Serotonin is also found in many mushrooms and plants, including fruits and vegetables.

Basically, serotonin is a chemical in the CNS that carries signals from one nerve cell to the next (hence, a neurotransmitter), thus allowing the brain to communicate. It is also one type of neurotransmitter that is highly sensitive to what we eat and influential in affecting mood. Other “moody” chemicals are dopamine and norepinephrine (source: the Mood-Food Connection).
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Warning: If you start running, you may become “addicted”

Posted January 15th, 2007 at 7:03 PM by Amanda Black

Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Health & Fitness, Exercise

People often look at serious runners with awe and admiration, wondering why they would choose to do such a thing and how a person could get up at five in the morning and go for a run in the freezing cold before the start of a stressful day.

For most runners the answer is simple: they need it, they love it and they just don’t feel “right” if they don’t go for their run. In a lot of ways, running is actually psychologically and physically addictive. The body produces natural endorphins during exercise; the so called “runner’s high” and many people just can’t get enough! Author Pam Hilts explains that these endorphins:
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Opt for an outdoor run to chase away the winter blues

Posted January 8th, 2007 at 6:30 AM by Valerie Cerami

Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Exercise

Are you feeling lethargic? Craving carbs? Noticing sleep disturbances? Experiencing depression? Anxious? Gaining weight? Having difficulty concentrating?

If so, you’re not alone – and you’re not crazy! If you’re seemingly sad, you may be feeling (the effects of) S.A.D. The acronym stands for: seasonal affective disorder - a.k.a. the winter blues. A real condition we are all susceptible to.

Even a party animal like Mike Jagger sometimes needs to sing the blues … Take a gander at some lyrics from “Winter”, by The Rolling Stones

It’s sure been a cold, cold winter
And a lotta love is all burned out
It’s sure been a hard, hard winter
My feet been draggin’ ‘cross the ground

In fact, it’s not all that unusual to be affected by this affliction. You’re in good - and plentiful – company. SAD affects half a million people every winter between September and April, peaking in December, January, and February.
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