You Wanna Feel Good?

What is the difference between dopamine and endorphins? Good question.

Simple answer here.

Dating a very attractive person -> dopamine

Having sex with said person -> endorphins.

Academic answer:

Dopamine is a stimulant triggered by expectation of a reward, not the reward itself. It’s the neurochemical of the drive, will and motivation to accomplish goals.

Endorphins are opioids, painkillers released to numb the brain to cope with pain/stress (work out, physical trauma, etc.) or after sex.

They are not always related: a track athlete competing for the gold medal in the Olympics, experiences a rush of dopamine despite the physical pain.

Depressed people locked up at home and engaging in some sort of self-gratification, are temporarily high on endorphins but flat on dopamine, demotivated and apathetic.

In the attempt to put the three principles outlined in Daniel M. Cable’s scholarly effort, Alive at Work, into play this morning (I will assume by now you understand that means in spin class), even titling it The Dollop of Dopamine Drill*, the plan was to voice over the three in the workout to illustrate the potential of the concept, a cardio validity test, if you will. The trio:

1)  Play to your strengths,

2)  Be willing to experiment, and

3)  Tap into your purpose.

All corroborate to create an atmosphere of focused intensity, because, per Dr. Cable, our brains are not hard-wired for routine or repetitive work. We tune out and disengage. Further, it appears, that same wiring prefers new and shiny stuff to keep our attention at optimal levels,  good for athletes, parents, the work force, musicians, writers and a host of others seeking continual improvement, peace of mind, general happiness and/or its big brother, success. We find, and please add your experiences here, that it pleases us not so much because things are ‘cool’ but simply because they are ‘new’. As if all this biology wasn’t enough, there is also evidence that boredom, disengagement and distraction are NOT motivational issues but bio-chemical ones. Yowza.

We know that neurotransmitters are responsible for our dramatic mood swings before, during and after our high-intensity exercise sessions.  We also know that two of them are dopamine and endorphins. Their roles in this exciting drama are different as night and day, as described in the above example. Interestingly, as we progressed through our radically challenging set this morning, it quickly because apparent that the chemical mix was being shaken, stirred and sent into the bio-blender. Begging the question, does D(opamine) + E(endorphin) = A(adrenalin)? As fascinating as it seems, the short answer is, sadly, no, something that perhaps prompted Albert Einstein’s famous quip that ‘Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.’

In his outstanding study, The Athlete’s Way: Sweat and the Biology of Bliss, world-class endurance athlete, author and political activist, Christopher Bergland, talks about the ratio, relationship and rewards resulting from the effective release of these powerful chemicals into our bloodstreams. 

We know all this to be true because we have measured and managed their manipulation long enough to recognize their value. We have long adhered to the theory that we are all, each of us, an experiment of one. What keeps us coming back is the continual holistic biological reinforcement we have empirically demonstrated time and time again. We have moved from the occasional to the habitual. We see the difference and demand the value of ourselves. Somewhere along the path of that experiment we actually made a shift in attitudinal awareness suggesting that it is no longer work for us, it is play. 

Which takes us from thinking to doing, from talking the talk to walking the walk. 

And we want it to provide ourselves and our teammates with all the promised rewards.  

* The Dollop of Dopamine Drill

10 minute warm up.

5 minutes alternating seated and standing in GZ (groove zone) 

15 minutes (no typo) at 85% of RPE or above

5 minutes alternating seated and standing in GZ

1 minute 7/120 recovery

15 minutes (no typo) at 85% of RPE or above

5 minutes alternating seated and standing in GZ

2 minutes 7/120 recovery

Warm down, cool down and stretch. 

You wanna feel good?