Swap drugs for sportswear – workout is the new high
Last week, a revolutionary pop-up shop opened in central Amsterdam, where people could swap drugs for sportswear. Why? Because you don’t need drugs to get high – the same feel-good substances are released in your brain when you work out.
It´s the Swedish sports fashion brand Björn Borg that wants to inspire more people to work out and therefore recently launched the concept ”Chase the Exerhighs”, which focuses on the hypnotizing euphoria and joy of exercise.
– I believe anyone can agree with us that exercise is better than drugs! It’s amazing how the brain reacts to exercise and how it can equal joy and euphoria at the same time. In fact, training releases such an amount of stimulating substances in your brain that it could be illegal in some countries, says Jonas Lindberg Nyvang, Marketing Director at Björn Borg.
The event created a lot of curiosity during the opening hours, see the film documenting the activity. People that was visiting the store, swopping their drugs for sportswear received vacuum-packed items from a limited edition collection featuring exclusive illustrations by Patrick Saville.
Workout is the new high
Exercise affects the level of encannabinoids, endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin in your brain. The release of neurotransmitters can mirror the effect of some type of drugs.. For instance, 45 minutes of running might give you the same degree of pain relief as a dose of morphine.
Lennart Högman, Senior lecturer at Stockholm University and researcher in cognitive neuroscience, explains:
–When you are physically active, the brain changes the levels of chemical messengers used for communication between brain cells that play an important role in regulating your mood. The effects of working out are very individual and it’s up to each and everyone to find out for themselves what levels of intensity and duration that works best – in order to reach an exerhigh.
Research also shows that we are more likely to achieve the feeling of euphoria if we do long, continuous and rhythmical exercises. After 30-45 minutes of running, cardio workout, or cycling you often feel good and can reach euphoria. Check out this film explaining it all.
Watch the film from the event here.
Visit the website here.
Download presskit here.
JOHANNA JUHLIN
Brand Marketing Manager
BJÖRN BORG AB
Mobile: +46 73 502 72 16
Email: johanna.juhlin@bjornborg.com
EMMA BENGTSSON
PR & Social Media Manager
BJÖRN BORG AB
Mobile: +46 73 057 98 20
Email: emma.bengtsson@bjornborg.com
ABOUT BJÖRN BORG: The Group owns the Björn Borg trademark and its core business is underwear and sportswear. It also offers footwear, bags and eyewear through licensees. Björn Borg products are sold in around twenty markets, of which Sweden and the Netherlands are the largest. The Björn Borg Group has operations at every level from branding to consumer sales in its own Björn Borg stores. Total sales of Björn Borg products in 2017 for about SEK 1,5 billion, excluding VAT, at consumer level. Group net sales amounted to SEK around 699 MSEK in 2017, with an average of 212 employees. The Björn Borg share has been listed on NASDAQ Stockholm since 2007.
