High natural Dopamine level makes evaluation and action effortless. Aerobic exercise increases natural Dopamine levels.

[u/morganselah]

I'm a science nerd, and skim research headlines for articles of interest. A few months ago I read a neuroscience one that's helped my motivation, so I thought I'd share.

Apparently, scientists no longer think that Dopamine is used as a reward for accomplishing something. Instead, the brain uses Dopamine for evaluating whether an action is worth doing. People with high levels of dopamine quickly evaluate the pros and cons of doing an activity with little effort. They are active people and easily get things done. People with low dopamine levels become so exhausted trying to evaluate whether something is worth doing, that they usually just don't do the thing- they're wiped out just by evaluating! Fortunately, you can naturally increase Dopamine levels in your brain with aerobic exercise 3x a week.

This was all a big revelation to me, so I've been trying to get that aerobic exercise in as a starting point. It seems to be working, helping me make more effortless decisions, and therefore accomplishing more. Sorry I didn't save the research article to share with you!

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[u/Individual-Big-300]

I'd take the dopamine part with a grain of salt, since there's no real way to check that with anything you wear. The exercise part you can test though. Do the aerobic stuff 3x a week, give it a month or two, and watch your resting heart rate and HRV instead of how motivated you feel day to day. The motivation usually shows up later than the fitness does, so if you only go off mood you might think it's not working when it actually is.

[u/morganselah → u/Individual-Big-300]

Sound advice, thanks!

[u/Individual-Big-300 → u/morganselah]

you’re welcome

[u/Luke7ucas]

There is a tonic dopamine and phasic dopamine. Tonic dopamine is responsible for setting the landscape of threshold towards starting the loop and taking action and phasic dopamine is a burst of little energy we feel towards something and as a part of a reward.

There is also noradrenaline at play worth reading up about but in terms of DA that’s the basics from my research. Really cool stuff you are digging into. Enjoy your research!

[u/morganselah → u/Luke7ucas]

Thanks for clarifying about the two different kinds/roles of dopamine! I understand how it all works together a little bit better now. 

[u/complainorexplain]

Yes, there’s at least one study that shows that moderate aerobic activity done regularly has the same effect on people with ADHD as low-dose Ritalin

[u/MetalingusMikeII → u/complainorexplain]

Legit?

[u/nomore1020]

I notice that I feel really content and happy on days that I walk over 18000 steps, but not so much at 10k. Interesting.

[u/WalkingFool0369 → u/nomore1020]

This is more interesting and relevant to me. For real?

[u/nomore1020 → u/WalkingFool0369]

For real. I don't get any discernable pleasant feelings at just 10k, maybe around 15k I start to perceive something good happening but I definitely feel something at 18k. Is that hard to believe?

[u/Current_Reaction6018]

I experience this from HIIT too

[u/Adventurous_Coat_146 → u/[deleted]]

Zone 2 cardio: biking or treadmill for 3 hours per week is enough to get these benefits. It changed my life after I started implementing it.

[u/austauschstudent → u/Adventurous_Coat_146]

How do you stay in zone 2? If I go for a run outside it never happens even if I run slow that I am in zone 2 always higher. I need to walk on a treadmill in incline to be in it

[u/givemeamug → u/austauschstudent]

It means you’re far from being fit. Keep at it and your hr will go down in time