S2E5: The Cognitive Benefits of Running (Science-Based)

Coach gets into what running is doing for your brain beyond just helping you split faster miles. He unpacks why an easy run can feel oddly spiritual, how runner’s high actually works, and why movement can act like medicine for your mind.

From endorphins and endocannabinoids to BDNF, brain inflammation, oxygen flow, memory, and mental health, Jeff explains how running can help regulate your nervous system, sharpen cognition, and make you feel a little more like yourself again.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome and New Topic

01:59 Why Running Feels Spiritual

05:17 Movement as Brain Medicine

06:46 Runner’s High Explained

08:34 Endocannabinoids and Calm

11:44 Exercise and Mental Health

19:21 BDNF: Miracle-Gro for the Brain

23:17 Microglia and Brain Immunity

27:05 Hippocampus and Memory Gains

29:33 Sharper Thinking on Runs

33:13 Oxygen Boost Explained

44:10 Why Run Clubs Fight Loneliness

47:56 Why Runners Get Creative

50:58 Mailbag: Warmup Question

56:21 Final Takeaways

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Bat City Track Club is an emerging national class and regionally elite team with a primary focus on distances 5,000m to the marathon.

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