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Endocannabinoids Contribute To Runner's High
MTorrice writes: After a nice long bout of aerobic exercise, some people experience what's known as a "runner's high" — a feeling of euphoria coupled with reduced anxiety and a lessened ability to feel pain. For decades, scientists have associated this phenomenon with an increased level in the blood of beta-endorphins, which are opioid peptides thought to elevate mood. Now, German researchers have shown the brain's endocannabinoid system—the same one affected by marijuana's 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)—may also play a role in producing runner's high, at least in mice.
In a bid to short cut the supply lines of those "runners" getting high, the DEA has announced a maximum speed limit for unpowered human locomotion: 2mph. Those caught in pedestrian speed traps going over the 2mph speed limit will be jailed a minimum of 7 months.
Kingpins of cartels like the Running Room and gyms will face stiffer penalties due to their "intent to traffic" and could face up to 8 or more years in federal prison.
Mice get runner's high? No wonder they love those little wheels...
No sir, officer, just finished the morning run.
Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.
Ernest Hemingway
So, if you go for (say) an hour's hard run, you're burning many hundreds of extra calories. That translates into "burning" (converting to carbon dioxide and water) a hundred or more grams of carbohydrate and protein, and/or tens of grams of fats. Worse, you need to replenish that energy with food-grade material, which most often has been farmed, trucked, and packaged, all of which consumes more energy. That one-hour run ends up cranking out hundreds of grams of carbon dioxide.
If, on the other hand, you simply burn through one medium-sized joint, you're only combusting a few grams of plant material. I'll bet the total CO2 output is less than ten grams.
Admittedly, there are health benefits to running. But at what cost to the health of the planet?