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Interestingly, exercise itself actually helps get an energetically favorable type of energy to the brain in the first place: lactate.[1] Moreover, lactate in th

Interestingly, exercise itself actually helps get an energetically favorable type of energy to the brain in the first place: lactate.[1] Moreover, lactate in the brain triggers the release of BDNF, which causes neurogenesis.[2] I recorded a video conversation with the pioneer of the lactate shuttle theory behind this mechanism which may interest you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lThFQM503EU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lThFQM503EU [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactate_shuttle_hypothesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactate_shuttle_hypothesis [2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21094220 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21094220

StanislavPetrov 10y ago
Exercise also causes the release of endorphins in the brain that leads to a condition commonly known as "runners high". http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/how-to-achieve-a-runners-high http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/how-to-achieve-a-ru...
- bitL 10y ago
  Real runner's high means you started damaging your muscles and brain flushes endorphins to your blood stream in order to keep you being able to continue without experiencing debilitating pain in case you are running from a disaster/predator/death in the last attempt before you cease to be able to move. Not something you'd want to achieve repeatedly.
  - StanislavPetrov 10y ago
    Any exercise can lead to the release of endorphins. Endorphin release doesn't occur only to mask the damage you are doing to yourself in the face of an extreme life threatening situation (which is also accompanied by the release of adrenaline and other hormones). >The endogenous opioids seem likely to be assigned a significant role in the integrated hormonal and metabolic response to exercise. This article reviews the present evidence on exercise and the endogenous opioids, and examines their involvement in a number of widely disparate physiological processes http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6091217 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6091217
  - nothis 10y ago
    I heard that "runner's high" only sets in when you train hard and for a long time. To make that clear, you're saying it's actually a sign of you having gone too far?
    - bitL 10y ago
      http://www.sortyourbrainout.com/#!The-Runner%E2%80%99s-High/cuhk/555b61bb0cf21fee139e5959 http://www.sortyourbrainout.com/#!The-Runner%E2%80%99s-High/...
    - ethbro 10y ago
      Just from personal experience, it usually hits around mile 3 or 4 at a decent pace (8-9 min/mi). But then, I wouldn't say I'm in the best of conditioning either.
  - wallace_f 10y ago
    >Not something you'd want to achieve repeatedly. My memory is telling me that studies of exercise show the longest living are those that do anything from endurance to what the article below calls "mixed" sports. Powerlifting and high intensity training may offer some benefit, but it is not as much as endurance training. What I found in a quick Google search to attempt to refresh my memory, is in agreement: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/live-as-long-as-an-olympian/ http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/live-as-long-as-an-...
    - chipsy 10y ago
      This correlates with my personal experience. Lifting is a good idea, but my optimum for it is perhaps once a week, else I fall into overtraining. The rest of the time when I want to exercise mild cardio seems more beneficial.
      - evm9 10y ago
        Maybe that works for you, but you'll never be strong/look strong weight training weekly. If you're "overtraining" from one weight training session per week, there's something very wrong. The average human only takes 48-72 hours to fully recover for most muscle groups in the body. It's also been proven that HIIT is much more beneficial for your system than LISS. It might "seem" more beneficial to you, but likely is not more beneficial than the alternatives. However, something is definitely better than nothing, and do what works for you and makes you happy.
        wallace_f 10y ago
        >It's also been proven that HIIT is much more beneficial for your system than LISS. Source? What is your definition of 'better?' The context is in longevity, and my link offers some evidence against your statement, so I think you should provide some source for your claim that HIIT is consistent with living longer than LISS because that's not what I've seen published in the last 10 years.
        alvah 10y ago
        Long time lurker, finally registered to answer this. What's your definition of "strong"? I've been weight training once a week since March, following Doug McGuff's "Body By Science" method, and I have doubled my weights in 4 of the "big 5" in the last 3 months. While I'm led to believe McGuff's methods will never make anyone look absolutely massive, I disagree with your premise that you have to train more than once a week to be strong or look strong. Incidentally, McGuff mentions in his book that the optimal gap between workouts is 8 days.
  - agumonkey 10y ago
    Then I'm not sure I ever got Runner's High. I did get Runner's Crave after one week tied to a bed. I couldn't stay in place and was anxious all the time, fantasizing about climbing the stairs between the hospital floors.
    - jschwartzi 10y ago
      I get this after 3 or 4 days of inactivity. When I'm like that I have to exercise or I can't sleep.
- brahmwg 10y ago
  Actually there is some evidence to suggest that the runners high is due to endocannabinoids rather than endorphin release. Interestingly the endocannabinoid system is also activated when consuming cannabis and experiencing the resulting cannabis/runners high. http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2015/10/Exploring-Molecular-Basis-Runners-High.html http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2015/10/Exploring-Molecul...
atom-morgan 10y ago
Thanks for posting this. I always enjoy you on JRE but I had no idea you were on HN!

StanislavPetrov 10y ago

Exercise also causes the release of endorphins in the brain that leads to a condition commonly known as "runners high". http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/how-to-achieve-a-runners-high http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/how-to-achieve-a-ru...

bitL 10y ago
Real runner's high means you started damaging your muscles and brain flushes endorphins to your blood stream in order to keep you being able to continue without experiencing debilitating pain in case you are running from a disaster/predator/death in the last attempt before you cease to be able to move. Not something you'd want to achieve repeatedly.
- StanislavPetrov 10y ago
  Any exercise can lead to the release of endorphins. Endorphin release doesn't occur only to mask the damage you are doing to yourself in the face of an extreme life threatening situation (which is also accompanied by the release of adrenaline and other hormones). >The endogenous opioids seem likely to be assigned a significant role in the integrated hormonal and metabolic response to exercise. This article reviews the present evidence on exercise and the endogenous opioids, and examines their involvement in a number of widely disparate physiological processes http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6091217 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6091217
- nothis 10y ago
  I heard that "runner's high" only sets in when you train hard and for a long time. To make that clear, you're saying it's actually a sign of you having gone too far?
  - bitL 10y ago
    http://www.sortyourbrainout.com/#!The-Runner%E2%80%99s-High/cuhk/555b61bb0cf21fee139e5959 http://www.sortyourbrainout.com/#!The-Runner%E2%80%99s-High/...
  - ethbro 10y ago
    Just from personal experience, it usually hits around mile 3 or 4 at a decent pace (8-9 min/mi). But then, I wouldn't say I'm in the best of conditioning either.
- wallace_f 10y ago
  >Not something you'd want to achieve repeatedly. My memory is telling me that studies of exercise show the longest living are those that do anything from endurance to what the article below calls "mixed" sports. Powerlifting and high intensity training may offer some benefit, but it is not as much as endurance training. What I found in a quick Google search to attempt to refresh my memory, is in agreement: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/live-as-long-as-an-olympian/ http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/19/live-as-long-as-an-...
  - chipsy 10y ago
    This correlates with my personal experience. Lifting is a good idea, but my optimum for it is perhaps once a week, else I fall into overtraining. The rest of the time when I want to exercise mild cardio seems more beneficial.
    - evm9 10y ago
      Maybe that works for you, but you'll never be strong/look strong weight training weekly. If you're "overtraining" from one weight training session per week, there's something very wrong. The average human only takes 48-72 hours to fully recover for most muscle groups in the body. It's also been proven that HIIT is much more beneficial for your system than LISS. It might "seem" more beneficial to you, but likely is not more beneficial than the alternatives. However, something is definitely better than nothing, and do what works for you and makes you happy.
      - wallace_f 10y ago
        >It's also been proven that HIIT is much more beneficial for your system than LISS. Source? What is your definition of 'better?' The context is in longevity, and my link offers some evidence against your statement, so I think you should provide some source for your claim that HIIT is consistent with living longer than LISS because that's not what I've seen published in the last 10 years.
      - alvah 10y ago
        Long time lurker, finally registered to answer this. What's your definition of "strong"? I've been weight training once a week since March, following Doug McGuff's "Body By Science" method, and I have doubled my weights in 4 of the "big 5" in the last 3 months. While I'm led to believe McGuff's methods will never make anyone look absolutely massive, I disagree with your premise that you have to train more than once a week to be strong or look strong. Incidentally, McGuff mentions in his book that the optimal gap between workouts is 8 days.
- agumonkey 10y ago
  Then I'm not sure I ever got Runner's High. I did get Runner's Crave after one week tied to a bed. I couldn't stay in place and was anxious all the time, fantasizing about climbing the stairs between the hospital floors.
  - jschwartzi 10y ago
    I get this after 3 or 4 days of inactivity. When I'm like that I have to exercise or I can't sleep.
brahmwg 10y ago
Actually there is some evidence to suggest that the runners high is due to endocannabinoids rather than endorphin release. Interestingly the endocannabinoid system is also activated when consuming cannabis and experiencing the resulting cannabis/runners high. http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2015/10/Exploring-Molecular-Basis-Runners-High.html http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2015/10/Exploring-Molecul...

atom-morgan 10y ago

Thanks for posting this. I always enjoy you on JRE but I had no idea you were on HN!