This chemical, produced by the brain during exercise, results in positive feelings, elevating an individual's mood, and creating a sense of exhilaration and euphoria. A number of researchers have theorized that this is one of the main motivating factors behind the need and desire of some human beings to exercise, as the release of dopamine in the brain results in a high similar to that obtained from certain drugs (Deckers, 2010). .
According to Weinberg and Gould (2010), psychologists have long studied this phenomenon, attempting to understand how physical activity is processed by the brain and how this affects the human body. Psychophysiological activity includes brain waves, muscle action, and a change in heart rate. Each of these can be assessed during exercise to determine how the brain and body work together and the physiological changes that may be motivators for a person to continue to engage in this physical activity. This includes changes that occur in brain function due to the body engaging in strenuous physical activity. According to Imai and Nakajima (2009), exercise and working out has been proven to positively affect the central nervous system of the brains of individuals who have damaged spinal cords. In essence, the brain positively alters its functioning in response to exercise-at times even resulting in the restoration of motor function in some of these patients.
In addition, heredity may be a strong biological motivator when it comes to the need or urge to engage in physical activity. Researchers have found there is a strong connection between working out and the regulation of genes which are inherent in the biology of human beings (Bouchard, Blair, and Haskell, 2012). This has been observed in various studies that compared two biologically or genetically unrelated people who take part in the same exercise routine, but each has an extremely different outcome.
