Why does running feel so good

Unlike endorphins, endocannabinoids can move easily through the cellular barrier separating the bloodstream from the brain, where these mood-improving neuromodulators promote short-term psychoactive effects such as reduced anxiety and feelings of calm. Understanding just how physical activity benefits your heart can be strong motivation to get moving to get moving more.

Here's what to know. Exercise may also produce new brain cells in certain locations through a process called neurogenesis, which may lead to an overall improvement in brain performance and prevent cognitive decline. Other mental benefits include:.

Okay, but maybe previously observed effects were due to opioids, while endocannabinoids just happened to increase simultaneously? To disentangle the effects of endocannabinoids and endorphins, researchers took advantage of pharmacological manipulations. Before running, mice were injected with chemicals that reduce the efficacy of either endocannabinoids or endorphins.

After the run, only mice with blocked endocannabinoid receptors did not show reduction of anxiety. These mice also reacted slower in the hot plate test, unlike the mice with blocked endorphins. Back to the sedation question: researcher noticed that mice with endocannabinoids blocked did not run longer after the tests, so probably mice moved less in the first experiment just because they were exhausted.

To double check how one of the endocannabinoid receptors is involved in the anxiety reduction, researchers used mice that lack receptor that is sensitive for endocannabinoids. As expected, mice that were genetically insensitive to endocannabinoids did not show any anxiety-reduced behaviour after running. Researchers, unfortunately, did not find a way to test euphoria in mice 3 there are disadvantages in animal models as well!

Okay, get back from mice to humans. So what are the benefits of running and initiating all these chemicals flowing around? However, does this also translate to our mental functioning? Research clearly indicates that regular exercise is linked with better cognitive function. The following sections review possible neurophysiological mechanisms of underlying the positive effects of exercise on our mind.

BDNF is a very important substance — it is involved in the generation of new neurons and synapses, which is in turn, important for memory and learning processes.

In elderly, the neurogenesis is slowed down; one study showed that in year-old people BDNF increased even after systematic moderate-pace walking. In a recent study with mice, it has been shown that running promoted the development of dendrites branches of neurons that collect information from other neurons in neurons in the hippocampus 6. Hippocampus is a brain area that is heavily involved in memory formation and other cognitive tasks, such as spatial navigation, but also in emotional regulation.

A recent behavioural study 7 also showed that after exercising people were better at regulating their emotions, and even more so after running an aerobic exercise as compared to stretching. Exercise has a positive effect on mood in depressed people 3 , It appears to be linked with one of the signalling chemicals of the nervous system, the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is also affected by exercise.

Increase of endocannabinoids after exercise induces rise of the dopamine concentration in the nucleus accumbens, a part of the brain that is involved in reward signal processing 8. Exercise can also be helpful for stress management. Psychological stress has a bad reputation as it can trigger anxiety or listlessness. So why is it then that one stressor is good for us, and another — not so much? All my problems are fixed at least until the next run!

I run all my errands, clean my house and can barely relax in a good way! Natural elements, like temperature or terrain, no longer felt like factors that would prevent you from continuing on your run. Sometimes, a quick two-mile run will be harder than a mile run, since I never actually reach the point of clear-headedness and focus. Once I get in my groove by mile three, it seems like time and the miles slip away.

One day, I had a terrible day at work and no one could work out with me, so I went for a run. Then, starting with brisk walking, gradually increase your distance and speed. Mandelbaum suggests no more than a 10 percent increase per week on each of those variables. If the pain doesn't go away after three to five days of no running, it's time to call your doctor. Also, be sure to warm up before running or any exercise and incorporate leg-strengthening exercises into your workout routine to strengthen the muscles supporting the knee.

And you may need to change how you run, as your stride could be the main culprit, suggests Carol Mack, CSCS , a doctor of physical therapy and trainer in Cleveland who often works with runners. Talking with a running coach or physical therapist who can evaluate your body mechanics can often make a big difference in taking pressure off your knee, she says.

What causes the toenails of distance runners to turn black? Improperly fitted or too-small footwear is usually the culprit, says Mandelbaum, as well as longer toenails.

The excess rubbing stride after stride eventually causes enough damage to bruise or bloody the toes. Wearing the right size shoes, as well as not ramping up training too quickly can help you avoid the problem, he adds.