How to get the most boost of your mood from exercise

Getting the most from your workout

from the NYTimes.

Of all the anti-aging tricks, exercise is the most important of all of them!! So anything to help you to exercise is worthwhile.

We’ve discussed exercise and aging here and moderate exercise benefits here  and exercise and immune here.

We’ve all encountered that person who comes back from the gym or a run seemingly high on life. In fact, scientists say that even a single bout of exercise can alter your neurochemistry in ways that create feelings of hope, calm, connection and a generally better mood.

But for others, a workout just leaves them feeling worn out.

“It’s normal not to find exercise rewarding,” said Daniel Lieberman, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

While some people are simply more genetically or psychologically inclined to enjoy exercise, recent discoveries have helped experts understand why it can be such a high. And, they say, by making a few changes to your workout, you can train your body and mind to find exercise more pleasurable.

4 neurochemical  ingredients to exercise.  1. endorphins, 2. endocannabinoids 3. Serotonin  4. Dopamine  It is thought that we are evolutionarily tuned to have rewards for physical activity since our lives depended on it.

Do the activity for at leat 20 minutes, moderate exercise (you could carry in a conversation)  that’s when endocannabinoids kick in.  The firt 20 to 30 minutes can feel like a slog, but keep it up and they’ll kick in.  The longer you can keep it up, the higher the boost will be.

It takes at least 3 weeks before your body will respond with the dopamine rush.  So take your time and keep at it.  If you don’t feel a magical pull towards exercise even in a month, don’t despair and keep going.

Make it social, do it with a friend or group remember the running groups in Hong Kong

Different types of workouts — aerobic, resistance and mindfulness practices such as yoga — release different combinations of mood-enhancing chemicals, and collectively, prime the brain to reap greater rewards.

I would add my own exercise mood booster, Music!!  For me, music is a superpower.  It makes running much more fun and my floor exercises like a sort of dance!