Movement can help you feel hopeful. Find out how it prompts your internal pharmacy
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)
Contractions of skeletal tissue releases a symphony of proteins and peptides from the muscle, and osteocalcin (a protein hormone) from the bone, to improve mood, affect, sleep, exercise endurance, exercise capacity, neurotransmitter synthesis, and regulate blood glucose in an insulin-independent manner.
We lovingly call them the molecules of hope. And you can recruit this endogenous pharmacy whenever you move.
WHY
It can sometimes seem like it is a crazy time to be alive. Bizarre presidential debates, social media censorship, ongoing wars, and untold lives sacrificed under the guise of “healthcare,” can seem overwhelming and hopeless, and you may feel like you have no power over your future or the issues you care about.
Except you do.
You may not be able to sway a swing state to align with your views, or stop a war in a country thousands of miles from you, or even convince your aunt that her medicine cabinet of antidepressants, statins, and blood pressure medications is not healthcare but disease management instead.
But you can control what you do, how you show up, and how you act in YOUR life. That’s what you truly have agency over.
All of us actually have our own internal 24-hour pharmacy of drugs that modify key brain centers involved in cognition strategy and executive function. These “drugs” make us more resilient to stress and have mood altering effects that induce hope and peace in our body.
This pharmacy contains the molecules of hope. And all you have to do is move to release them.
WHAT
Every time you contract skeletal muscles, they spill proteins and peptides into the bloodstream that get into the brain.
Collectively known as myokines, they are a subset of the immune system that work directly on the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex that support creativity and problem solving. They help brighten your mood and, as their name suggests, render hope.
But it doesn’t stop at our muscles!
Our bones get in on the action, too.
When we are exercising, our bones will release a hormone called osteocalcin. Osteocalcin is the 10th most abundant hormone in the body, and it has wide-ranging systemic effects.
Some of osteocalcin’s key features:
- It’s able to regulate metabolic processes like disposing of blood glucose in an insulin-independent manner.
- It’s responsible for steroidogenesis, most notably testosterone.
- It’s responsible for neurotransmitter synthesis.
- It promotes an increase in exercise capacity and exercise endurance.
First, can we take a moment to love up on how cool our musculoskeletal system is!
Movement can help us feel hopeful again. And hope is an important emotion. It is a uniquely human quality that cannot ever be replicated (sorry–not sorry–AI).
Hope is contained within our internal pharmacy of muscles and bones, and we can bring it to life whenever we want.
HOW
When life seems like it is dire, and you are losing hope, remember you can incite your body to work for you.
Any movement works. Lifting weights, going for a run, dancing, playing tennis, doing yoga, or walking around the block are all going to cause your muscles to contract. Movement also prompts the tensile forces (a pull or stretch) on the bones to initiate the release of myokines and osteocalcin.
NOW
Hold this idea: You are a hopeful, peaceful, and joyful person close to your heart and know you are her whenever you move. If things seem crazy at home, at work, in the world, control what you can control–your health.
There is hope. It’s right there within you. Whenever you need it.
Question of the Week
Q: As a chiropractor yourself, what are your thoughts on/research on, manual medicine for perimenopause and menopause. How does it help? What is the aim of treatment from your perspective and at what stage/symptoms should women be seeking out treatment?
Thank you to Mini Pause subscriber Alexandra for bringing up this perspective.
She also says, “Love reading all your newsletters here in the UK. Thanks for taking the time to consolidate it all.” I appreciate this feedback!
So much to unpack here, but I’d say generally, YES, chiropractic and manual medicine are great tools to help with mobility, recovery, joint health, disc health, and musculoskeletal health overall in perimenopause and menopause.
We know that generally women do start to experience more arthralgia and joint pain in their 40s and 50s, and manual medicine has an incredible database of high-quality literature showing reduction in pain, improvement in range of motion, and preservation of joint health.
I can also draw on my 20 years of clinical work to verify this has been my experience, too. After seeing tens of thousands of patients, I’ve found that most get better under chiropractic care.
In terms of outcomes, at the very minimum, a reduction of symptoms should be sought out, ideally with a complete resolution of them. The time frame in which this happens can vary widely. I’ve had patients feel better after one session, and others needing years for this to be true.
Think about it like building muscle. It is likely you're doing something after one session, but not enough to undo years of not training. And it will take a long time to make improvements in mechanics that have been fortified over several years.
I get adjusted every week to every other week. More when I’m stressed out.
YOUR TURN!
I’ll be answering your questions every week right here in the Mini Pause! Let me know what’s on your mind. I’ll be checking for both questions and feedback at support@drstephanieestima.com.
What I Recommend: Coldture
Submerging yourself in cold water triggers physiological responses in your body, such as constricting blood vessels and reducing inflammation and swelling. It also does a lot more:
- Cold plunging aids muscle recovery for high-intensity exercise and endurance activities, and also muscle strength, muscle power, and jump performance.
- Cold plunging stimulates metabolism by burning calories as your body brings your core temperature back to normal and liberates stored triglycerides from fat deposits to use as energy as you warm up.
I began cold plunging in a Coldture tub this past year. It’s been a terrific investment in my recovery practice, and I’ve noticed additional benefits like improved sleep and mental clarity, and an increase in overall energy. You can read my entire article about cold plunge specifically for women in Mini Pause #2.
Coldture (Canada’s #1 cold plunge therapy equipment company!) has several tub and barrel options. Start your Coldture journey at http://coldture.com/
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P.S.
THE BETTER! PODCAST TURNS 5
In September 2019, I launched the “BETTER! with Dr. Stephanie Estima” podcast. Five years later, it's grown to more than 5.6 million downloads across nearly 400 episodes.
Every week I'm in my element (being my nerdy self) while interviewing industry experts and bringing you science-based education that you can use in your daily life. I've really dialed in the Meals, Muscle, Mindset, and (Peri) Menopause topics over the years, and you've responded with loyal listenership.
As a deeply heartfelt THANK YOU to all my listeners in the Bettyverse, I'll be featuring 5-year anniversary giveaways all month!
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