The “runner’s high” otherwise known to me as “the endorphasm” phenomenon is fueled by reports of euphoria or elation experienced during or after exercise. From cardio to weightlifting, exercise causes the body to release energy and mood improving endorphins. But can these endorphins actually create a “high”?
This is what I know…after intense endurance activity, fit people experience an increase in endocannabinoids, the brain chemicals that signal pleasure. This “neurobiological rewards” theory of the runner’s high has it that we humans might just have evolved to enjoy fitness! Endorphins released while exercising could create a euphoric feeling, but effects of endorphins vary from person to person.
