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Grade 8-9
Subject Physical & Health Education
Resource type Activity, Lesson plan/Unit plan
Duration 30-60 minutes

About This Resource

Endurance aerobic activities (like jogging, cycling, dancing, rowing and the like) have long been seen as reducing stress, relieving anxiety, enhancing mood and decreasing the perception of pain. The high that can sometimes accompany jogging even led to the creation of its own term, “runner's high.There are various theories on how this “high” occurs related to the natural release in the body of endorphins, endocannabinoids or leptin. These “natural drugs” activate the same mechanisms in the brain as opioids, cannabis or other drugs. While the research on the “runner’s high” is not definitive, there is solid evidence that exercise, even in smaller doses, can boost your mood, raise your energy level, relieve anxiety and make you feel calm and relaxed. This on top of all the other benefits of physical activity! By the end of the American War of Independence, the total debt incurred by the new nation and its individual states was around $65 million. Faced with this massive debt, the Secretary of the Treasury needed to come up with revenue so he introduced a series of taxes including an excise tax on whisky. But the small farmers in Pennsylvania started to talk rebellion and the United States government raised an army to fight its own people.
A Natural High

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