'Runner’s High' or 'Pilates' High': The choice is yours

Welcome back!

Over the past few months, we’ve explored Pilates from a physical lens. From the origins of Pilates, the benefits of a daily routine, and the equipment behind Joseph Pilates’ head-turning workouts; I’ve grown to understand more about the physical science of why Pilates is unsystematically captivating. Now, I’d like to explore the emotional benefits Pilates has to offer… and holy moly that’s daunting.

For the longest time, the term “Runner’s High” describes the release of hormones, specifically endorphins, within the body that improve your working memory and focus, assist in your task-switching capabilities, and elevate your mood.

A recent John Hopkins study determined that while endorphins “help prevent muscles from feeling pain, it is unlikely that endorphins in the blood contribute to a euphoric feeling or any mood change at all.” 

In fact, the brain similarly releases a biochemical substance named “endocannabinoids” (no I am not kidding) when the body increases physical exertion. Endocannabinoids move across our body’s walls and barriers much more freely than endorphins and “promote short-term psychoactive effects such as reduced anxiety and feelings of calm”, says John Hopkins Medicine.

Without a doubt, this brings the term “Runner’s High” to a new level of irony, but why stop at Running? Half of us are no longer in any condition to strap on our Adidas and “go for a job”. But inevitably, since the days of mile runs in gym class, running has never and will never be for me.

While runners may have coined the term “Runner’s High” it certainly does not apply to only running. John Hopkins Medical says “Exercise has a dramatic antidepressive effect… it blunts the brain’s response to physical and emotional stress” and “voluntary exercise is the single best thing one can do to slow the cognitive decline that accompanies normal aging”.

Join us at Pilates on Robertson and let's let those endocannabinoids rock and roll!