Who Hid My Endorphins?

The term implies a pharmacological activity (analogous to the activity of the corticosteroid category of biochemicals) as opposed to a specific chemical formulation. It consists of two parts: endo- and -orphin; these are short forms of the words endogenous and morphine, intended to mean “a morphine-like substance originating from within the body.”^[5]

The term “endorphin rush” has been adopted in popular speech to refer to feelings of exhilaration brought on by pain, danger, or other forms of stress,^[2] supposedly due to the influence of endorphins.

As a part of preparing for the upcoming trip to Alaska, I decided that I needed to get in better shape. Plus the cargo pod that goes on the Super Cub weighs 22 pounds empty, so I thought I should set a goal of losing enough weight that the cargo pod would not add to the basic weight of the airplane. This has meant dieting, exercise, sweating, swearing and generally changing my sedentary ways. I convinced Judy to join the program and she has been going full speed ahead. We bike, we lift weights, we watch what we eat, and despite my skepticism, it is slowly having an effect. Just the other day, I began to panic a bit, calling Judy to help identify a suspicious lump I’d found. “What do you think this is?” I asked, hoping it was nothing serious. She studied it for a moment, then offered an opinion. “I’m not sure, but I think it is a muscle.” Well, ok then, I guess I can relax. I even tried to convince my friend Dirk to join the exercise program. He politely declined, due to an eye problem. “An eye problem?” I asked. “Yeah, I just cant see me doing that!” he explained. So, each day, we go to the gym or ride our bikes, hoping to get in shape and to experience the “endorphin rush” our athletic friends have told us about. So far, I have an eye problem with the endorphin rush. I just can’t see it. But, the journey continues.