What’s Happening To Me?

Metamorphosis

Documenting Change

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Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash

After missing a full week of workouts and learning that I actually missed that activity, I returned to the gym today. Holy cow! Not only did it feel great to see my people, my tribe, it is also good when that post-workout fatigue sets in afterward; tired, a little sore, but invigorating. I would never have dared wager on those words ever emerging from my mind or mouth. What, indeed, is happening to me?

These amazing differences are occurring, I think, on more than one level. I’ve written before that my initial motivation centered on my grandchildren; more accurately, on my perceived ability to keep up with them while we enjoy Disney World. Neither I nor my wife can stand the idea of being that grandparent, a drag on the vacation. Thinking we could have a negative impact made the decision to improve ourselves easier. Even better, this is motivation holds up as we finish our third month of training.

On the physical level, we both feel much better, stronger, and each of us is noting an increase in confidence and a better general mood. Exercise affects the brain in many ways. It increases heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain. It aids the release of hormones which provide an excellent environment for the growth of brain cells. Exercise also promotes brain plasticity by stimulating the growth of new connections between cells in many important cortical areas of the brain. (1)

Exercise can help relieve symptoms of depression in several ways. Among other benefits, it helps stimulate the release of feel-good brain chemicals. Endorphins are only one of many neurotransmitters released when you exercise. Physical activity also stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These brain chemicals play an important part in regulating your mood. (2)

That certainly accounts for the new feeling of more vigor, enhanced mood, and actually looking forward to a workout. This is a 180° change for a guy who had previously what I had heard Mortimer Adler say on The Dick Cavett Show many years ago, “Whenever I get the urge to exercise, I simply lie down until it goes away”

But what is going on elsewhere in my bod, deeper in my muscles and organs? Well, that will be the subjects for the next couple of installments in this series on Metamorphosis.

(1) https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/exercise/how-exercise-affects-your-brain

(2) Ibid.