Dan's Papers - August 10, 2007

There is Patron, Grey Goose and Tanqueray. Not to mention Xanax, Valium, Zoloft, marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine. All of these drugs are readily available to any well-connected Hamptonite, but what is it that they are facilitating - a good time or a downward spiral that leads straight to Betty Ford? Many nights may be filled with these aforementioned narcotics, but don't let them seep into your sun-soaked days on the East End. For the ultimate rush look no further than within yourself and the incomparable buzz from endorphins.

Endorphins are endogenous opioids (as in opiate), naturally produced in the brain's hypothalamus and released into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland. Endorphins relieve pain better than morphine and produce feelings of euphoria more acutely than ecstasy. They are released in times of intense physical and emotional stress, which is why you'll find some very injured people calm as Hindu cows, or the bereaved seemingly in shock. Laughter, especially long hearty bouts of it, will also give way to an endorphin rush. According to Mayer Resnick of the American Physiological Society "just the expectation of a mirthful laughter experience boosts endorphins 27 percent."

Now, before you go lop off a finger and queue up the Family Guy Movie, read on, for there is something that will give you a greater surge of endorphins than anything else. Exercise. Prolonged periods of cardiovascular exercise will result in a feeling most commonly known as the runner's high. While called the runner's high, swimming, cycling and prolonged stints on the elliptical will also produce the effect. Essentially any physical activity that gets your heart pumping for more than 30 minutes will do the trick. Thirty minutes seems to be the magic number and the longer you exercise the stronger your endorphin rush will be.

Swimming in the ocean, especially against the current, is quite effective. If you frequent the same beach and generally set yourself up in the same spot, take a walk with a pedometer and make a note of the houses along the beach after a mile or two. Then you can swim from where you sit everyday to the same set of houses and have a fairly accurate idea of how far you just swam. Better yet, run the one or two miles and then swim back. Remember, when swimming at length in the ocean it's best to go far out past the waves and especially past the surfers. If the thought of deep-ocean is one you aren't willing to embrace then the next best thing to do on the East End is to take a bike ride. Hubbard County Park's marshes and ponds are worth the pedal, so is the ride along the part of Route 38 skirting Peconic Bay into Sag Harbor. Route 114 in East Hampton provides some solid cycling ground and if you're feeling extra ambitious follow it through Hither Hills Park to the Montauk Lighthouse. Despite the name, Hither Hills is relatively flat but is home to the most breathtaking vistas of the Atlantic Ocean. But be careful - between the views and the endorphins you may truly believe that you are actually in heaven.

So you can't swim and you don't have a bike? Then grab a tennis racket, throw on some running shoes or procure a soccer ball and get an impromptu beach game going. Get your legs moving and your heart racing from something that doesn't come in a plastic baggie or a Redbull-vodka produced dancing marathon at Star Room.

If your body is accustomed to the feel-good hormones you can actually develop an addiction to them. This is why those in the best physical condition will often seem addicted to their sport or workout routine, because they need it as their coping mechanism to everyday life.

On the opposite tact, if you don't exercise often, or at all, you may find that you don't feel any high whatsoever. If truly out of shape then you'll most likely feel quite low indeed, but keep at it because your body will start to respond differently over a short period in time.

Aside from the exhilarated, painless feelings brought on by endorphins, they also stimulate the immune system and postpone aging. In other words, there is no downside to endorphins, no cancer-causing side effect, no depressing withdrawal and despite it seeming to be the cause of addictive or obsessive physical behavior, no one has yet to go to rehab for a treadmill problem.