Woof! Dopamine’s Dark Side & Learning to Embrace the Chase

I am always inspired and tickled by my 4-year-old dog, Clyde (right), and his never-ending passion for playing ball. With each throw, he soars through the yard as if he’s the star receiver and ready for another touchdown pass. With his yellow ball in his mouth, he struts back every time like it’s a victory lap. Retrieving the ball provides an intrinsic, exhilarating, dopamine-filled rush.

On the other hand, Charlee, a Portuguese Water Dog, likes to play ball, but only for extrinsic reasons–if there is a small treat to be had as her reward. While it sounds self-sabotaging, it works for her! At age 13, she still runs, leaps, and frolics like a puppy, as long as there is a “Charlee Bear” treat on the other side. Her dopamine rush comes from knowing that she gets a treat at the end of her chase. lol

Luckily, I am more like Clyde in this way. At 62 years young, when a song comes on with an infectious beat, I cannot resist getting up and cutting a rug. I continue to relish the joy of jamming it out with you all week after week, and I still embrace the arduous challenge of creating enticing routines for our party arsenal. 

Thankfully, we still have a wonderfully enthusiastic community who have helped keep our little class thriving, but I gotta admit, I get a number of friends who hesitate trying the Mojo challenge, saying.

• “I won’t know the moves, and that makes me uncomfortable.”
• “I tried once, but I didn’t get enough of a workout”. 

The Dopamine Lie: This hesitant mindset is what experts have deemed the dark side of dopamine. With the ease of technology, we are lured into activities that deliver a low-effort, low-friction dose of dopamine, thus making us increasingly numb to new challenges, like…

• Mindless social media scrolling
• Online shopping
• Checking our phone compulsively
• Mindless snacking
• Binge-watching TV

In contrast, learning a new skillset doesn’t work that way. It takes patience, determination and consistency.

If you find yourself leaning away from new challenges, you’re missing out on one of life’s most delicious longevity-inducing drugs, the dopamine rush that comes from hard work and earned victories.

Dopamine isn’t just a fleeting moment; it’s a steady stream of reward as your skill and confidence grow. 

Dopamine is a chemical messenger in our brain that plays a critical role in motivation, reward, and pleasure. While it’s often defined as the “feel-good” chemical, it’s more accurately described as the “go-get-it” chemical. It’s the driver that helps us learn, seek out goals, and find purpose—all of which are essential for living a long, high-quality life.  As we age, our dopamine levels naturally decline. By consistently challenging our brain, like learning new choreography, we stimulate our dopamine system:

• Promotes Motivation and Purpose: A healthy, active dopamine system can keep you motivated to stay physically and mentally engaged, which are key factors in healthy aging.
• Encourages Physical Activity: Because dopamine is released during physical activity, it encourages us to be active. Studies on animals suggest a strong connection between active dopamine systems, physical activity, and a longer lifespan. A decline in dopamine-producing neurons is often linked to age-related degeneration and reduced mobility, as seen in diseases like Parkinson’s.
• Enhances Brain Health: Dopamine is crucial for learning, memory, and cognitive function. By consistently engaging in new challenges and learning, you stimulate your dopamine system, which in turn helps maintain brain agility and resilience against age-related decline.

The Thrill of the Skill

Regarding the hesitation to try a Mojo class,
Until the rise of the internet, people rarely “exercised” to get healthy; everyone danced their way to good health. Like Clyde’s retriever instincts, dancing was in our BLOOD. People were waltzing, jitterbugging, and discoing their way to a healthy lifestyle. With the ease of TV and TikTok, people have become intimidated and hesitant to dance in public, and more accustomed to watching other people dance (Yawn), hence the rise in stress-induced illnesses, obesity, and depression.

Learning new fitness routines (or any skill driven activity) is a clumsy process for everyone. In real-time, you are mimicking a series of movements to a song you may or may not have heard before. You’re trying your best to move with intention and make the moves work with your rhythms and body history. Like any new skill or sport, it will feel awkward at first. But when you trust the process and stick with it, the moves will become more familiar, more effective, and more FUN. Along with a pretty silhouette, more brain agility, and better numbers at the doctor’s office, you’ll enjoy a dopamine high that says, “YOU DID IT!”

• You don’t need to know the moves to get a great workout. We always have at least one or two other Mojo team members showing alternate movements. The goal is to simplify the movements to meet your rhythms and body history. The key is to shift your focus from perfect choreography to powerful, intentional movement.
• Your Core Is Your Steering Wheel Even if you’re not getting every arm or leg movement right, you can engage your core to get a fantastic workout. Think of your core as your body’s steering wheel. By focusing on keeping your abdominal muscles tight and your torso stable, you’ll be actively working your entire midsection. This engages deep core muscles that are often neglected in traditional workouts. Every twist, turn, and bend you do—even a simplified version—is an opportunity to “whittle the middle.”
• Compound Movements for Maximum Burn When you’re moving your upper body and lower body simultaneously, you’re engaging multiple muscle groups at once. A simple punch while stepping, or a kick while swinging your arms, is more than just cardio; it’s a full-body strength exercise. Even if the choreography is complex, you can break it down: focus on a powerful leg move first, then add the arm movement later. This simultaneous engagement of muscle groups burns more calories and builds more functional strength than isolating muscles.
• Intensity Over Complexity-The intensity of your movements is far more important than their complexity. Instead of worrying about a fancy step, focus on making each simplified move as powerful and energetic as possible. A simple jumping jack becomes a strength exercise when you fully extend your arms and legs with purpose. A basic lunge is a full workout when you engage your core and push up with power. By prioritizing effort and intensity over choreography, you’ll still get a challenging, full-body workout that leaves you feeling accomplished and strong.