Cardio is a Drug, Drink Responsibly

It’s a hell of a drug. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter hormone that is nicknamed the “happy hormone” because it’s associated with positive feelings. You get it when you shop, eat sugar, have sex, and play. 

Warning! It also is released when you HIIT class yourself to death with Avicii playing on volume twelve. When you turn your 2 mile run into a 3 mile run, you take a hit of dopamine. Certain cardio forward gyms, cycle studios, bootcamp palaces, and the like ultimately do well because you’re essentially on drugs when you press the cardio button hard enough. 

This is your brain on cardio. 

Now, movement is remarkably important and I’d never make the connection that your twenty minute run and enjoying an ice cream cone are the same thing. That said, I’m sure very few fitness professionals are having an honest conversation with you about how an addiction to cardio-centric dopamine isn’t a great training strategy. 

Strength training doesn’t tap your veins in the same intoxicating way that your next Barry’s Bootcamp class will, but if longevity, health, and wellness are your interests, you might want to get your dopamine elsewhere and get some lean muscles in the gym instead.