What triggers happiness in our brain when we exercise?

Most of us are aware of what happens to the body when we exercise. We build more muscle or more stamina. We feel how daily activities like climbing stairs becomes easier if we exercise regularly. When it comes to our brain and mood though, the connection isn’t so clear.

The line around our “endorphins are released” is more something I throw around to sound smart, without really knowing what it means. Here is what actually happens:

If you start exercising, your brain recognizes this as a moment of stress. As your heart pressure increases, the brain thinks you are either fighting the enemy or fleeing from it. To protect yourself and your brain from stress, you release a protein called BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). This BDNF has a protective and also reparative element to your memory neurons and acts as a reset switch. That’s why we often feel so at ease and things are clear after exercising and eventually happy.

At the same time, endorphins, another chemical to fight stress, is released in your brain. Your endorphins main purpose is this writes researcher McGovern:

"These endorphins tend to minimize the discomfort of exercise, block the feeling of pain and are even associated with a feeling of euphoria."

Overall, there is a lot going on inside our brain and it is in fact oftentimes a lot more active than when we are just sitting down or actually concentrating mentally:

Full Article: Link

 How important is nutrition in attaining peak performance? We asked a few pro athletes to give us their take on it.

Some of the greatest athletes inthe game make everything look effortless.  We have all watched the likes of Michael Jordan, Dwayne Wade, Russell Westbrookand LeBron James, and been in awe of their on-court movements.  Their ability to change direction, close down lanes, create positive first steps, and their hang time helped place them in the category of elite NBA players.  When trying to maximize on-court movements, what makes them so special?

First off congratulations to the Miami Heat for winning the NBA championship. What an exciting few weeks to watch the best basketball in the world. Now it's time to rest up and get ready for the Olympics in London. 

One of the featured story lines after game 4 of the finals was LeBron's leg cramps at the end of the game. He actually had to be taken out of the game and had to watch much of the deciding moments on the sideline. Miami was able to pull through and win the game, but if couple of plays go the other way it becomes at different series and the Heat all of a sudden are not celebrating their championship so soon.

That's why proper nutrient intake is so important. We have worked with numerous pro athletes and have seen first hand how debilitating mineral deficiencies can be. Durring the Sarasota Open, one of our tennis pros was cramping after the second set. He took our 2oz Mineral Complex and his cramps instantly went away. He went on to win the match. We have seen these type of results over and over again and make sure that every athlete is taking the minerals before they workout as well as during their workout if needed. 

No matter what sport you are playing, make sure you can perform at your peak in every situation. 

I believe that athletes need yoga because when they train, it tends to be at such high intensity, that we must balance that with the calming effects of yoga. The use of explosion execrise, where fast-twitch muscle fibers are used, causes the epinephrine levels in the body to rise. Elevated epinephrine levels cause the fight or flight response, which affects the level of cortisol and adrenaline in the body.

Co-Founder of Elementz Nutrition Jason Riley was interviewed by Michael Garko of Let's Talk Nutrition.

You can listen to the full interview here: Link

Hope you enjoy it, if you have any questions leave a comment.

About Let's Talk Nutrition:

LISTEN. LEARN. LIVE HEALTHIER
Let’s Talk Nutrition is Tampa’s only interactive, health talk radio show.  Known as LTN, the show is heard every weekday from 2 – 4 pm online and on AM 1250 WHNZ in the Tampa area.  For showtimes in your area, visit the Our Stations  page.  The program features Michael Garko, Ph.D. and focuses on health and nutrition experts with extensive knowledge of complementary, alternative, and traditional medicine.
His personal philosophies have carried over into his show where Dr. Garko says, “The goal of Let’s Talk Nutrition is to inspire you to take charge of your health, and in turn, better your life.”  In fact, he has reviewed the literature on health and nutrition for over three decades, and has devoted extensive study to scientific advances in anti-aging and life extension, as well as the use of nutrition, physical conditioning, supplementation and life-style strategies in fighting disease.
Academically, Dr. Garko earned a Ph.D. from Florida State University, and has over 25 years of experience teaching and consulting.  He is also currently enrolled at Clayton College where he is pursuing another advanced degree, a Doctorate in Naturopathy.

With the US Open now upon us, we have fielded numerous questions about our philosophy on multivitamins. Tennis, like many sports, requires frequent travel across many states and continents. Most of these athletes are road-bound for nearly 40+ weeks per year, so we have to prepare them with a high quality multi-vitamin that helps stimulate energy production, focus, recovery, immune function and nutrient delivery. Vitamins need to be viewed as a supplement to healthy eating, never as a replacement. Most vitamins cannot even be utilized without energy derived from the macronutrients in food.

Jason Riley has been blazing a trail in the world of Sports Performance enhancement since 1999. With an eight-year stint as the Associate Director of Performance at the International Performance Institute at IMG Academies under his belt, Jason became the Director of Performance at The Athletes Compound in Tampa, Florida in 2007.