Can keeping yourself accountable to your fitness goals REALLY be as addictive as that first bite into a hot and cheesy slice of pizza? Can it provide the same level of comfort as a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie?

I never thought to ask myself that question before, but here we are!

Surely, there must be something to it though, there are people whose lifestyles demonstrate that explicitly.

There are generally 2 schools of thought when it comes to adherence to exercise routines.

"I should do this, it's good for me, I will do it."

and

"I should do this, but I don't want to right now."

Aside from whether or not an individual engages in physical activity, the stark difference between these 2 philosophies is how they impact you physically and psychologically.

Is there a benefit which runs deeper than looking fit, getting stronger and potentially more injury-resilient (if the fitness routine is balanced), when it comes to remaining accountable and eventually attaining your fitness goals?

In other words, can the simple act of remaining accountable to your fitness goals serve as a driving force for your day-to-day activities?

When we think of exercise and fitness in general, it's lots of breathing, increased heart rate, adrenaline rushes, and possibly even a sweaty person with a mic yelling at you to 'PUSH!', which come to mind. 

So what is it exactly that keeps us going onto the next set, the next exercise...the next workout?!

Well, what if there was a series of 'micro-transactions' occurring at a neurochemical level which was a large part of what spurred us onto the continuation of working out in general?

This is a rhetorical question, because there are!

The interesting part? Dopamine gives us a temporary sense of pleasure, while Serotonin's benevolent qualities tend to last longer.

Dopamine release is associated with things like eating and winning; both of which can be highly addictive; prompting one to engage in those activities repeatedly, sometimes without a break in between. Dopamine like a drug; it gives you that exhilarating 'high' which makes you desire it again and again...and so you likely end up reengaging in the activity that lead to its presence in the brain.

Serotonin, is like the calmer, more zenned-out stable-cousin of Dopamine! It produces feelings of calmness and focus. Serotonin is made from the amino-acid Tryptophan, which your body cannot produce naturally and must be obtained from your diet! Ultimately, serotonin is released when you eat tryptophan-rich foods, carb-rich meals, exposure to sunlight and exercise.

So here's an interesting concept for you....What if the primary trigger for serotonin secretion in your body was exercise, rather than the calming, comforting carbs found in many of today's meals?

We often, give into the temptation brought on by these 'Dopamine pangs' and have that bag of chips, that large turkey sub on white bread, as a pick-me-up during the day. Sure it's energy, but is it impacting the neurochemical transaction we spoke of earlier?

There's a fairly good chance it is indeed.

Sound like hogwash? Well...

We know that low levels of Serotonin in humans remain a constant in conditions such as anxiety and depression; this has been demonstrated in a plethora of studies.

Studies have also shown serotonin levels have a positive correlation with harm-avoidant behaviours (Siegel et al., 2013). This includes traits such as excessive worrying, doubtfulness, and fatigue to name a few. With regard to human behaviour, serotonin plays a large role in the milliseconds between execution and avoidance of tasks.

At a primal level, physical exertion is perceived as something expensive for the body, therefore, we have an abundance of physiological mechanisms geared towards saving energy. We are 'lazy beings' by design, ask anyone who's ever rode the moving walkway at the airport despite having no luggage and fully functioning legs.

In instances where serotonin is used up rather than accumulated in the brain (i.e. an individual with a balanced diet deriving majority of serotonin release from exercise) ; we tend to see more balanced decision-making processes.

So going back to our initial philosophical fitness routine duality of:

"I should do this, it's good for me, I will do it."

and

"I should do this, but I don't want to right now."

I would put forth the notion that there is a fairly decent chance at eliminating the latter simply by adjusting your fitness goals into bite-sized milestones in order to recalibrate serotonin levels in the brain, rather than the bite-sized morsels we all love to snack on; especially during tough times.

This is of course, a simplification of the many facets of life we all experience which go into our day-to-day decision making, but an interesting concept nonetheless.

So the next time you think to yourself, "I'm too tired", or, "This is too hard and feels uncomfortable, what was I thinking?", don't give up just yet. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were good habits. It gets easier, believe me.

Chandran S, Guo T, Tolliver T, Chen W, Murphy DL, McPherron AC. Effects of serotonin on skeletal muscle growth. BMC Proc. 2012 Jun 1;6(Suppl 3):O3. doi: 10.1186/1753-6561-6-S3-O3. PMCID: PMC3394452.

Dfarhud D, Malmir M, Khanahmadi M. Happiness & Health: The Biological Factors- Systematic Review Article. Iran J Public Health. 2014 Nov;43(11):1468-77. PMID: 26060713; PMCID: PMC4449495.

Siegel JZ, Crockett MJ. How serotonin shapes moral judgment and behavior. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2013 Sep;1299(1):42-51. doi: 10.1111/nyas.12229. PMID: 25627116; PMCID: PMC3817523.e level of comfort as a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie?