Tag Archives: cycling

How Running [swimming, basketball, cycling, racquetball, resistance exercises, martial arts] Makes You High

I’m going to wax a little philosophical for just a quick comment. I guess I read a lot and I guess that my reading/interests are pretty varied. Because of that, I see a lot of stuff that I really want to share. I’m not trying to rip anyone off, I’m trying to share some chunks of wisdom that others might miss and give them a good reason to try something that will benefit them.

I read “Men’s Health Magazine” and for the most part it has good content. Can’t say I recommend all of it, but I really do like the following. I am ripping it off in toto, there I said it and I’m glad I said it. Do have to make the following disclaimer, before you start any exercise program make sure you get cleared by a physician, now read:

[K. Aleisha Fetters Men’s Health Magazine Jul/August 2014 p 22]

“1. When you run past your comfort level (i.e. after 30 minutes or so at about 80 percent max heart rate), specialized cells secrete two mood modifiers: endorphins – which are opioids – and anandamide, which is similar to THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

2. Your blood carries the two chemicals to your blood-brain barriers, the gatekeeper to your brain cells. Anandamide crosses easily. But endorphins are large, and few make it in. No problem, though: Your brain also produces endorphins. Both chemicals boost your mood – and perhaps your mileage.

3. The two mood boosters are now tapped into your central nervous system, where they limit the signaling power of pain sensors called nociceptors that spread out from your spinal cord: Result: You don’t realize how much your legs are burning.

4. The endorphins downshift your brain’s prefrontal and limbic regions, which regulate your emotion and motivation. You begin to feel calm and comfortable. Then, as more endorphins reach these ares, you may even start feeling euphoric.

5. Anandamide triggers a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that contributes to lust, pleasure, and addiction. It also binds to cannabinoid receptors in your brain’s pleasure circuit, where it sends bliss vibes throughout your brain for minutes or even hours.”

Your body is designed by God to give you pleasing, comforting feelings. We too often just go ahead and take the easy way and take drugs, which will hurt us, eat too much, not get any exercise and wonder why we come down with various diseases and disorders. As I said make sure you get checked out, then get rid of the stupid stuff, get out and push yourself and then you realize how good you’re going to feel, the way God intended for you and not you presuming to know better.

Le Tour est finis

Certainment, It est triste. J’aime Le Tour. OK, seven years of French, that’s all I got. But I really do look forward to Le Tour, (Tour de France, in case you don’t know) It is the premier cycling race in the world. It really is transfixing, getting a tour of France, England (this year) a little bit of Spain, Belgium, the Alps, the Pyrenees, and to see some superb athletics. I was doing a lot of flipping between Le Tour and the Red Sox. It struck me, how a lot of professional team sports are starting to get a little tedious. My biggest beef is the move to video replay. For almost a century and a half we enjoyed watching baseball, pretty much like we did it in the neighborhood sandlot. Today, we have to listen to a long lecture on the rules and wait to find out if we’re going to further delay with a video review. The NFL is so ridiculously over the top with the technology and rules that it has really taken any fun out of the game.
Le Tour works like this, for about three weeks you get on a bike and cycle for about 120 miles a day. You go up incredible heights, you deal with rain, heat, other geographic features. Your bike might develop a mechanical problem, get a flat tire. Do you get a review, or get to whine about it to anyone? No. You may bump the guy in front of you, beside you, you’ve got 195 guys bunched together, stuff happens. Just like in other sports, but in bicycling there’s no opportunity to whine and fuss, you keep going until you get to the end. Whoever gets to the end first, wins. Real easy.
Le Tour is a true test of strength, endurance, technique, tactics and not whining and replays. Triathlon, another individual sport, other sports that are not so prissy and just interested in getting out and doing it. Please, take out all the nonsense in sports. Sure drugs have been an issue in cycling, but that’s being cleaned up. Certainly the team sports have had their own issues with drug abuse, behavior issues, which is also taking the fun out of it.
Let’s get back to having true contests, enjoy the skill, intelligence and challenge of sports and cut out the rest of the nonsense. But to be sure, sports is certainly a reflection of our current culture.