Exercise is a gateway drug.
And once you’re hooked, everything else follows.
Better mood. Better eating. Better sleep. Better skin.
Even better sex.
And this isn’t just one of those things we say to be provocative.
Exercise is one of only two things proven to reverse the physiology of depression.
Because exercise raises a protein in your brain.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
A Latinate mouthful.
Probably why scientists call it Miracle-Gro.
It grows new brain cells in the hippocampus.
The bit that does memory and mood.
Antidepressants raise Miracle-Gro too.
Same protein. Same outcome. Different route.
A workout also lowers ghrelin – your hunger hormone.
And raises the ones that say you’re full.
The body intuitively starts asking for the right things.
No diet plan required.
And regular exercise increases deep sleep by up to a third.
The kind that actually restores you.
So if what you actually want is better sleep.
Or fewer cravings.
Or a clearer head.
Or a calmer week.
Don’t start there.
Start with a walk. Or a run.
And everything else follows.
References:
BDNF / Miracle-Gro (NYT via NYU Langone)
Exercise-mediated hippocampal neurogenesis via BDNF
Exercise for depression
Exercise effects on ghrelin and appetite hormones
Diurnal aerobic exercise and slow-wave sleep (Journal of Applied Physiology)
And once you’re hooked, everything else follows.
Better mood. Better eating. Better sleep. Better skin.
Even better sex.
And this isn’t just one of those things we say to be provocative.
Exercise is one of only two things proven to reverse the physiology of depression.
Because exercise raises a protein in your brain.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
A Latinate mouthful.
Probably why scientists call it Miracle-Gro.
It grows new brain cells in the hippocampus.
The bit that does memory and mood.
Antidepressants raise Miracle-Gro too.
Same protein. Same outcome. Different route.
A workout also lowers ghrelin – your hunger hormone.
And raises the ones that say you’re full.
The body intuitively starts asking for the right things.
No diet plan required.
And regular exercise increases deep sleep by up to a third.
The kind that actually restores you.
So if what you actually want is better sleep.
Or fewer cravings.
Or a clearer head.
Or a calmer week.
Don’t start there.
Start with a walk. Or a run.
And everything else follows.
References:
BDNF / Miracle-Gro (NYT via NYU Langone)
Exercise-mediated hippocampal neurogenesis via BDNF
Exercise for depression
Exercise effects on ghrelin and appetite hormones
Diurnal aerobic exercise and slow-wave sleep (Journal of Applied Physiology)
