How to boost your body’s feel-good chemicals How to boost your body’s feel-good chemicals
Centr Team
23 Jun 2021
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: if you’re feeling low, get up and move! Even though they can sometimes feel like separate entities, your mood is strongly connected to your physical body.
One of the biggest factors in this connection is an A-team of feel-good chemicals. While your body is sweating it out on the workout mat, your brain is busy transmitting these chemicals from one nerve to another – sending messages to your body on how to feel and function.
But what are these chemicals and, more importantly, how can you get them flowing to boost your mood? Try these 7 strategies, and let the good times roll!
1. Buddy up
You probably know that exercise releases endorphins – the ‘happy hormone’ that boosts feelings of pleasure and minimizes pain – but did you know that you can double the fun with a workout buddy?
Yep, the “synchronized activity” of training with a friend or team has been shown to heighten the surge of endorphins compared to sweating it out alone. Can’t find a workout buddy close to home? There are thousands of them waiting for you in the Centr Facebook community!
2. Get busy
If you’ve ever smashed a challenging workout or passed an exam and felt a huge swell of satisfaction, then you’re already familiar with the dopamine ‘reward’ in effect. Produced by your central nervous system, dopamine is responsible for feelings of pleasure and motivation. It can also act to calm you and enhance movement control.
Increased endorphin release leads to increased dopamine production, so exercise plays a role here too. But it’s a different kind of exercise that can really pump up dopamine levels: sex. Your brain produces the chemical in response to sexual stimulation, boosting enjoyment.
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Avocado & Broad Bean Toast – a tasty way to top up your dopamine levels.
3. Eat some fava (broad) beans
If sex isn’t on the menu for you right now, there’s another way to top up your dopamine levels – eating fava beans (AKA broad beans). Fava beans are a natural source of levodopa, which your body converts into dopamine. Yum!
4. Pump up the probiotics
Serotonin just sounds calming, doesn’t it? Fittingly, this chemical keeps your mood balanced by taking charge of well-being and happiness. But it is also a big player in the functioning of your body and mind, impacting everything from your appetite to your sleep cycle.
Fun fact: 90% of serotonin receptors are located in your gut. This means good gut health is crucial for keeping your serotonin levels balanced. Foods like natural Greek yogurt that contain probiotics can be good for your insides, but what’s most important is that you maintain a healthy diet overall (including lots of fiber and plant-based foods) and avoid things known to inflame the stomach like soda, deep-fried food and processed meat.
Looking for more ways to keep your gut functioning well? Try these tips.
5. Pet a dog
Looking for any excuse to take a break from work and show your furry friend some love? Look no further! Research is clear that petting a dog increases oxytocin levels – for you and the dog! Oxytocin is sometimes known as the ‘love hormone’ for the role it plays in building relationships and trust.
If you want your oxytocin boost without the side order of hair and slobber, you’ll be pleased to know that spending time with humans who treat you well will also do the trick.
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Luke Zocchi knows all about the benefits of joining Tahl for a yoga session.
6. Join Tahl on the mat
If you feel on top of the world after your Centr Align sessions with Tahl, it probably won’t come as a surprise to learn that studies have found that yoga reduces stress and increases BDNF levels.
It may not be as well-known as some other feel-good chemicals, but BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) is a big player in overall brain health, and therefore mood. It helps to develop new brain cells and fights inflammation to maintain healthy brain function. Decreased levels of BDNF have been associated with depression and neurodegenerative diseases.
7. Crack an egg
Have you tried our Fried Egg Banh Mi lately? Eggs help your body to produce enough norepinephrine, a hormone that helps to regulate your focus and cognitive function, boosting energy and alertness.
Meditation and breathing can help norepinephrine do its job, too. So if you’re not hungry, you could always hit play on the first instalment in Chris Hemsworth’s Learn to Meditate series.
Of course, feeling good isn’t always as simple as exercising more or eating different food. If you need urgent support, you can call:
USA: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255
Australia: Lifeline on 13 11 14
UK: Hopeline on 0800 068 4141
Other: Contact your country's crisis support hotline.
