Exercise Endorphins DO Exist!

Life Stories and Experiences

The elusive endorphin.

Endorphins are a natural human form of energy we can access for healing.

You cannot always order them like an afternoon latte, but if you are consistent in approach and the conditions are right,

and you don't allow stray thoughts to deflate the potential for access.

They just might come to visit.

We have all heard of endorphins, but just for fun, I'm going to start my little story with the definition.

Endorphins are natural chemicals produced by the body that help reduce the perception of pain and can boost her mood.

They are primarily produced and released by the hypothalamus and pituitary glands,

both of which are specialized regions in the brain.

As neurotransmitters, endorphins bind to opiate receptors, which help block pain and increase feelings of pleasure

that may seem as if they only have a momentary positive effect, but endorphins can also act as peptide hormones,

and then they're released by the pituitary gland entered the circulation, where they have long, ranging systemic effects on the body.

So bringing in endorphins is an excellent idea, both for short term and long term health and well being.

And who wouldn't want more of either of those things

breaking up one's day with a shot of endorphins every few hours, sounds like a wonderful way to keep up a great energy signature

and help keep the body and mind operating at the highest possible frequency.

It might be easier to order up a shot of espresso, but I for one, would like more of the former, if possible.

The easiest and most enjoyable way I have experienced rushes of endorphins is by laughing. And when I mean laughing, I mean the typically spontaneous, huge belly grabbing, side splitting, kind of laughing that has tears coming out of your eyes.

Now, I don't know about you, but it isn't easy to plan or schedule that kind of laughing. I mean, you can try,

and you can increase your odds by surrounding yourself with positively focused old friends

or people of good humor,

but usually those moments with those huge endorphin rush laughing

come organically.

I am certain that I have experienced releases of different kinds of endorphins over the course of my life,

certainly with laughing roller coasters and absolutely when riding horses, but I've always privately lamented that I've never experienced the elusive runner's high or exercise high that so many people talk about.

Years ago, when I was in my 40s, I trained and then ran a half marathon race, and even then, I never once felt an inkling of that rush that some people talk about, true enough, I would feel super great when I stopped running,

but I rather felt that as a massive relief, rather than any sort of opiate, like high of an endorphin rush.

It was a running private joke for me and my family that I didn't believe in that kind of endorphin, that kind of pleasure in the head, apparently, was available to certain other special people, just not me.

Now, just about a year ago, I decided I needed to level up my health, and I started weight training with a partner and a personal trainer. I go twice a week on a regular basis, and my private endorphin joke was shared fairly early on. I think it's a myth. I would say there's no such thing as an endorphin in this place. I would look around the gym and know that others likely did experience endorphin rushes, at least at times, but I knew I hadn't ever in my life, at least not from exercise or running.

It was something I really wanted to experience, though.

But the best thing about either of those activities for me had always been the moment it was all over.

Of course, I appreciated the health benefits and the satisfaction of completion, but exercises, or running, pretty much, was always something just to get over with.

A while back, I said to my trainer, Jack, I think I see an endorphin jokingly pointing out the window.

I just finished a set of Ben.

Pressing with two dumbbells. I did feel a bit of a flash. It quickly faded, but I was happy, just for that small moment.

And another day, something similar happened, but it too was just a blip.

I think an endorphin is in the parking lot. I smiled

happy to set the kettlebells down for relief.

But last week, something different happened, something off the charts. Different happened in the endorphin department. Started with a text from my husband Tom an hour before I was even supposed to go to the gym, he sent a photo of the white board that's up there in the main room, and on it was written this week's challenge

box, squats with a barbell weight held on the back.

That means you sit down on a box, stand up, sit down and repeat, all with a barbell held behind your neck.

The total weight was the score, and the weight could be any but there was a minimum of 45 pounds.

Tom said, I should do the challenge, and I dismissed that outright. Squats are not my best moments in the gym.

But the challenge was repeated by Jack and my partner, Kim and so I, good naturedly, gave it a go.

Jack stood nearby as we both started the challenge, side by side.

I was counting slowly.

I figured I could do about 15 or maybe 20 repetitions with the weight on my back. And you know, I didn't even actually know quite how much Jack had set me up for. I knew it was more than 45 pounds because the bar itself weighed 45 pounds and he had added more weights.

But I knew it was better for me mentally not to know the actual number of pounds, so I didn't look closely at all.

I was just finishing 20 repetitions when I heard Jack tell Kim that she should try to lift the same number as her age.

Now, Kim's in her 40s.

So when Jack said that, I laughed a bit and sent him a look. And that look said, You better not say that to me,

thinking about 62 box squats actually deflated my energy. I mean, it really did. I actually felt the energy run out of my body down towards my feet, out of my feet and into the floor. I could have easily maxed out my squats at about 22 reps.

You know, I just about quit right then.

I wondered if I could even get into the 30s at that point with my energy so low. But I decided to stop thinking about how many my age, or really anything else, and just think about one more rep, just one more

and, you know,

that's probably why I'm making this video at all.

One more rep,

the phrase is a lot like one more day or even one more hour,

and sometimes that's the only way to get through the hard things.

Thinking of the end being near can be impossible when it seems so far away.

Thinking about how far you have to go, no matter what it is, can be discouraging, drain your energy.

I remember the years and years of my chronic pain condition

I got through years, often by getting through just that one day

or even that one hour,

and sometimes on the hardest days, even the next one minute.

So thinking how far away 62 was from 20

when it was already hard, seemed crazy,

but that's when I switched gears. I was just gonna think of one more.

So I did. I thought of one more until I got into the 30s and then almost 40 repetitions. And I thought 42 would be a good number if I could get there.

And so I did. I got there 42

and then I wondered,

could I do just one more?

And I just kept going.

This point, my legs were starting to burn, but somehow I managed another squat, and then another and another. And I was in the 50s, and then in the 60s, 62 it was almost there. And I thought, Great,

I'm almost at my age. I almost set the bar on the rack again.

But I wondered,

could I do another

at this point? Not.

Only did I just keep thinking about one, I slowed down. I didn't stop, but I just kind of slowed down. And I just kept going.

Kim had already stopped, and at one point, Jack asked me where I was, I think, and I think I said, 8585

I choked out. He said, no way you can do 100

and that was just about as bad when he said, squat, your age. Energy ran down out of my legs, into my feet, out to the floor again. No way.

But I pushed those thoughts out of my mind and went back to thinking about just the next squat.

And you know what?

I did it. I made it. I just kept going, and I box squatted 100 reps.

It was only then that I looked to see what the total weight was that was on my back, and it was 75 pounds.

I had just squatted 7500

total pounds.

I stood with my hands and weight on my knees, my heart was pounding and I was breathing hard.

Wow,

that would have been enough accomplishment for the day at the gym. Really,

I was so glad it was over, but that's when the endorphins came,

they came like a whirlwind through open doors, marching into my head, and for the first time in my entire life, I actually felt exercise endorphins.

I was so shocked, I couldn't speak.

Jack looked at me and look on my face and asked if I was okay, I bet he really wondered, because it probably showed I was so surprised, I just said, they're finally here.

They actually have finally arrived.

The next 20 to 30 minutes of the workout were a bit of a blur and just flew by,

even though I had only flashes of exercise endorphins to speak about my whole life, I had about half an hour of the biggest rush ever.

It was amazing.

Part of me was giggling, saying, well, it only took a year of this, but another part of me was so very grateful.

Did I open a gateway? Can it happen again?

All of this happened only last week,

and so far, this is a singular event, and I have no idea if such a thing will ever happen again for me at the gym, but I do know this, if it happened once, can happen again. So I remain hopeful, and I'll keep going.

I also like to think that I opened up some sort of bottleneck that had been in existence my whole life.

Might it take box squatting another 7500

pounds? Gosh, I hope not.

I mean, I'd rather it not take quite such an effort the next time.

Thank you for listening / Watching

I am the Candace Craw-Goldman, the creator of Quantum Healers. We support all modalities and practitioners on quantumhealers.com and our support forum.

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