Exercise, as Gretchen Reynolds points out in the New York Times, is supposed to chill us out and improve our mood. But some research suggests that animals accustomed to long runs become disturbingly anxious when deprived of their regular exercise routines. Reynolds points to a study conducted at the Central Institute of Mental Health Mannheim, which showed that mice accustomed to running for hours each day hid in dark corners when they were placed in unfamiliar situations. Why would that happen? There is speculation that neurogenesis, the formation of new brain cells, is to blame. Exercise increases neurogenesis, which is generally believed to be a good thing. But now scientists wonder if neurogenesis can also make us anxious. In an experiment designed to find out, researchers radiated the brains of mice to slow neurogenesis. Then they let mice run. When those mice with restrained neurogenesis where later placed in stressful situations, they appeared more relaxed than mice with uncontrolled neurogenesis. Worried? Run it off.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Years ago before my knees started aching. I did use my running time as my head time. When seeing people hook up to some music playing gizmo I could never understand it. I would think about think things while running. But not continuously as I would also monitor how my breathing is going,my running form and also check to make sure that I’m running at my usual pace. This usually would happen about every other lap. After my runs I always felt refreshed.
I feel that this may be true for anybody that has followed an exercise program for a long time and then stops. I believe that it is the lack of getting the endorphrine high that could be responsible for the change.