The Endorphin Effect
"Endorphin" is usually a buzzword that is thrown around when people are talking about the general benefits of exercise, but some don't really understand what endorphins are. Endorphins are neurotransmitters found in the brain that activate and control opiate receptors, also in the brain. When activated, these opiate receptors can give you a feeling of happiness and exuberance, and feelings that are similar to artificial opiates. Endorphins are a completely healthy and non-addictive way to get a high from exercise, a feeling of happiness and even some analgesic effects.
Exercising and Endorphins
When you exercise, your body releases more of these endorphins than when you are sedentary. A study in the "Journal of Sports Medicine" in 1984 found that elevated serum beta-endorphin concentration levels were much higher when a subject completed rigorous exercise, and that those endorphins were responsible for elevated moods throughout the hours following the physical activity. It even noted that the feeling was like a "euphoric state." The link between endorphins and exercise has been well documented and used as fodder to entice people to work out. And while exercising can make you happy, it can cause you to lose body fat in other ways as well.
Endorphins and Body Fat
While it's proven that endorphins are activated when you exercise, applying that to entice you to work out more is a different matter. When you exercise and receive an increased feeling of happiness or an elevated mood, it can give you an almost addictive love for exercising. Exercising regularly helps you lose body fat over time. Endorphins are also responsible for appetite suppression. A study published in a 2003 "Neuroscience" journal documented that the release of endorphins also caused the release of another feel-good hormone, oxytocin. With endorphins and oxytocin together, subjects had a suppressed appetite, especially suppressed against sodium-rich foods. This appetite suppressant can help you get rid of body fat over time. Paired with the regular exercise, endorphins are nature's way of getting you off the couch and onto the treadmill.
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