Natural High

I am addicted to the natural high I experience every time I workout, especially on Mondays. Endorphins amaze me! I show up to class ready to workout but not always 100% fired up and ready to crush it. However, by the end of a workout I feel like a completely new person, AND I know that is exactly how I will feel post-workout. It happens every single time.

Today was no different. 1 mile jog, KB warmup, and then Diane. Not only did I progressively feel more energized as the hour proceeded, I did the best I have ever done on handstand pushups.  Winning. What's even better is I L-O-V-E spicy foods, which illicit a similar endorphin rush to working out. 

I firmly believe that is why CrossFit and Relentless work so well and athletes return month after month---the euphoric feeling of kicking ASS and the physical fitness that happens simultaneously. Do you experience an endorphin high when you workout?

Endorphin 101: In addition to decreased feelings of pain, secretion of endorphins leads to feelings of euphoria, modulation of appetite, release of sex hormones, and enhancement of the immune response. With high endorphin levels, we feel less pain and fewer negative effects of stress. Endorphins have been suggested as modulators of the so-called "runner's high" that athletes achieve with prolonged exercise. While the role of endorphins and other compounds as potential triggers of this euphoric response has been debated extensively by doctors and scientists, it is at least known that the body does produce endorphins in response to prolonged, continuous exercise.