It’s only been during the last 100 years or so that humans started becoming less active. According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, our hunter-gatherer predecessors were long-distance endurance athletes. The study goes on to suggest that the so-called high that many runners experience after training is one way the body motivates us to engage in intense effort. Technically, runner’s high is created by signaling in the brain’s reward center.

For their research, scientists tested two animals known for endurance, humans and dogs, against ferrets, a mammal not known for exerting lots of physical activity. Exercise in dogs and people produced the expected brain chemical response. This did not happen after scientists coaxed the ferrets to exercise.

True Strength Moment: If you haven’t been to the gym or out for a run in quite some time, don’t expect to experience pleasurable post-workout feelings right away. The study points out that inactive people have to build up a certain level of conditioning before that can happen. Once you cross that threshold, you’ll be a little more motivated to keep your progress on track. For some tips on building up conditioning, read today’s Performance Blog post at ABBperformance.com