You’ve heard about the mind-body-spirit connection, right? It turns out there is some real, practical SCIENCE involved. It’s science that will have you lacing up your workout sneakers AND inspire you to pick up some weights!
Have you heard about “hope molecules”?
These are real, live molecules that are in your body – and they get released when you exercise, specifically when your muscles contract.
They are called myokines, and they’re a BIG topic of research. They can affect your mood, your immune system, and basically every organ in your body (even your brain). Myokines are special chemicals that your muscles create and secrete when you contract them.
They travel through your bloodstream to your brain, and they act as an antidepressant, make you feel less stressed, and can help you learn.
PLUS … myokines can help:
- Reduce inflammation
- Control blood sugar
- Battle cancer cells
- Improve brain function
- Burn more fat as fuel
The only way to get these chemicals into your brain is to use your muscles!
Researchers started calling myokines “hope molecules” because they appear to work at the brain level to help it recover from stress.
So …. exactly HOW do you exercise to spur more myokine action in your body?
It really doesn’t matter – basically, just make sure your muscles contract. That could mean walking, biking, running, lifting weights, or any other continuous action that makes your muscles move.
Just another reason to feel good about including fitness as part of your self-care routine!
12 Days of Fitmas Workout Inside!
It’s one of the most anticipated emails of the year … because it’s got all of the details for this year’s 12 Days of Fitmas Workout! This is a special holiday workout that will fire up your metabolism and help keep you on track with your goals.
Your holiday survival checklist is inside
It’s not just you — a study by Healthline found that when it comes to health and finances, not only do 44% of people think the holidays are “somewhat stressful” and 18% of them classified them as “very stressful”!
Meal Prep Superfood Bowl Recipe
Your new favorite meal prep recipe is here! This Superfood Bowl comes together fast using
Your top secret saboteur
Lately I’ve been talking about next-level steps you can take to boost your results … and today’s post might just be about the most important step. It affects almost every action you take and every decision you make.
