Hope Molecules – a Pharmacy in your Muscles

My sister recently sent me a happy video introducing … drumroll please … hope molecules! First off, the name is super cute and, well, inspires HOPE. Second off, the idea is almost too simple - introducing hope molecules:

When you contract your muscles, they literally secret proteins into your blood stream that make you resilient to stress and protect you from depression.  Think about that for a minute, if you simply move your body, you are creating these super adorable and super helpful molecules.  All you have to do is dance, lift, walk, pick up your kid, walk your dog, swim, run, jump, burpee, do a sit-up, ride your bike, snowboard, skateboard … you get it, right?!

In a nutshell, as your muscles contract (as you move and exercise) you are actually manufacturing antidepressant molecules – it is like a pharmacy in your muscles! By dumping these hope molecules into your bloodstream, you may be offering your mind, body + spirit something better (or at least equivalent to) your current antidepressant meds.

I don’t know about you – but this sounds pretty good to me – I decided to do a little more research on the topic and, drumroll please … here you have it!

“One of the most interesting health research projects of the past decade or so has looked at HOW exactly exercise makes us feel good. Research shows that there appears to be a clear scientific reason, that we can see at a cellular level. When muscles contract, they secrete chemicals into the bloodstream. Among these chemicals are myokines, which have been referred to as “hope molecules”. These small proteins travel to the brain, cross the blood-brain barrier, and act as an antidepressant. They do this by improving our mood, our ability to learn, our capacity for locomotor activity, and protect the brain from the negative effects of ageing. This has been referred to as “muscle-brain cross-talk”.

This idea as long been thought to work but NOW we are actually seeing it at the cellular level – yay science!  So, go out and get those hope molecules fired up and working plus it will increase the muscle-brain cross talk which sounds pretty darn rad!

Remember to share your gratitude + move your body daily!