Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
After playing a wildly hilarious game of Mad Gab, I decided that we should take another look at laughter and its affects on our cardiovascular system.
Laughter has been likened to "inner jogging" by professor Lee Berk of Loma Linda University in California. Your heart rate gets elevated, your breathing increases, and the stress hormone cortisol is inhibited. A year long study was done on patients who suffered heart attacks. Both groups were prescribed medical care; one group was also prescribed to watch 30 minutes of comedy. By the end of the study, "the laughing group had lower blood pressure, lower stress-hormone levels, fewer episodes of arrhythmia and, most important, fewer repeat heart attacks. (Kluger)"
Laughter shouldn't replace exercise but it's definitely a positive activity that you should strive to do every day. I recommend games like Taboo, Catch Phrase, and Mad Gab. Watching Who's Line is it Anway? is also great.
In health,
Lauren
Kluger, J., Miranda, C., & Song, S. (2005). The Funny Thing About LAUGHTER. Time International (Canada Edition), 165(3), 56-59. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database.
Showing posts with label laughter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label laughter. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
116/365 The Temple Technique
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
You've heard it before now hear it again: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?[...] glorify God in your body. (1 Cor 6:19-20)"
Whether you are religious like not, you can recognize this truthful phrase. Your body is a temple where your spirit, soul, intellect, and mind reside. Without your body, you have no vehicle through which you can express yourself. You have got to respect your body for it is the only one you have.
Here are ways that I believe you ought to respect your body, a temple:
1. Eat foods that will make you wealthy in nutritional value. Do not be greedy and consume in excess.
2. Drink alcohol with the intention of enjoying its effects in good company. Do not drink to get drunk.
3. Sleep; give your body rest so you begin the next day refreshed.
4. Utilize all the muscles in your body. A temple must be fortified to withstand the most destructive winds, storms, etc. that attempt to ravage it. Strengthen your body with frequent exercise.
5. Enjoy everything in moderation.
6. Laugh every day. Life is much too short not to have fun with it.
This list could go on but, I'll stop myself here. Just wait for when The Temple Technique © is a legitimate program made by yours truly.
All the posts I have written before and beyond have this temple idea in mind. Your body deserves respect in everything you do. You are a person of dignity are you not? Treat your body with the same respect and care that you give to yourself. Likewise, treat your soul with the same attention you give your body.
In health,
Lauren
You've heard it before now hear it again: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?[...] glorify God in your body. (1 Cor 6:19-20)"
Whether you are religious like not, you can recognize this truthful phrase. Your body is a temple where your spirit, soul, intellect, and mind reside. Without your body, you have no vehicle through which you can express yourself. You have got to respect your body for it is the only one you have.
Here are ways that I believe you ought to respect your body, a temple:
1. Eat foods that will make you wealthy in nutritional value. Do not be greedy and consume in excess.
2. Drink alcohol with the intention of enjoying its effects in good company. Do not drink to get drunk.
3. Sleep; give your body rest so you begin the next day refreshed.
4. Utilize all the muscles in your body. A temple must be fortified to withstand the most destructive winds, storms, etc. that attempt to ravage it. Strengthen your body with frequent exercise.
5. Enjoy everything in moderation.
6. Laugh every day. Life is much too short not to have fun with it.
This list could go on but, I'll stop myself here. Just wait for when The Temple Technique © is a legitimate program made by yours truly.
All the posts I have written before and beyond have this temple idea in mind. Your body deserves respect in everything you do. You are a person of dignity are you not? Treat your body with the same respect and care that you give to yourself. Likewise, treat your soul with the same attention you give your body.
In health,
Lauren
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
84/365 I Love to Laugh, Loud and Long and Clear
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
Remember in Mary Poppins when Uncle Albert can't get off the ceiling because he's laughing so hard and Bert is worried because laughter is contagious? Well I think they were on to something.
Laughter has been shown to reduce anxiety, pain, and stress and increase comfort and satisfaction. In those with bronchial asthma, the positive state associated with humor and laughter improved pulmonary function compared to those in a negative state. Laughing also causes cholesterol and blood pressure levels to drop (not while laughing but, after).
Laughter is also said to be the social glue that holds us all together. We are more likely to laugh while speaking than while listening; it often comes in the form of giggles. We laugh more often when there are other people around as opposed to watching a sitcom. It is theorized that babies laugh in safe and surprising situations (like playing peek-a-boo). Therefore, they seek places and people that will make them laugh and naturally are safe and happy.
So if you are feeling down, just laugh! Make yourself laugh. Even making a mirthful, hearty laugh sound when you don't feel like laughing can boost your mood. Find a friend and encourage them to make you laugh or start laughing. It really is contagious; we naturally want that rush of dopamine (associated with rewards) when we perceive it in someone else. Laughing is good for you, free, and readily available. Have a happy, laughter-filled day!
In health,
Lauren
Douglas, Kate, David Robson, and Trevor Cox. "Laughter, the best medicine." New Scientist 207.2769 (2010): 02. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Oct. 2010.
Wilkins, J, and AJ Eisenbraun. "Humor theories and the physiological benefits of laughter." Holistic Nursing Practice 23.6 (2009): 349-354. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 12 Oct. 2010.
Remember in Mary Poppins when Uncle Albert can't get off the ceiling because he's laughing so hard and Bert is worried because laughter is contagious? Well I think they were on to something.
Laughter has been shown to reduce anxiety, pain, and stress and increase comfort and satisfaction. In those with bronchial asthma, the positive state associated with humor and laughter improved pulmonary function compared to those in a negative state. Laughing also causes cholesterol and blood pressure levels to drop (not while laughing but, after).
Laughter is also said to be the social glue that holds us all together. We are more likely to laugh while speaking than while listening; it often comes in the form of giggles. We laugh more often when there are other people around as opposed to watching a sitcom. It is theorized that babies laugh in safe and surprising situations (like playing peek-a-boo). Therefore, they seek places and people that will make them laugh and naturally are safe and happy.
So if you are feeling down, just laugh! Make yourself laugh. Even making a mirthful, hearty laugh sound when you don't feel like laughing can boost your mood. Find a friend and encourage them to make you laugh or start laughing. It really is contagious; we naturally want that rush of dopamine (associated with rewards) when we perceive it in someone else. Laughing is good for you, free, and readily available. Have a happy, laughter-filled day!
In health,
Lauren
Douglas, Kate, David Robson, and Trevor Cox. "Laughter, the best medicine." New Scientist 207.2769 (2010): 02. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Oct. 2010.
Wilkins, J, and AJ Eisenbraun. "Humor theories and the physiological benefits of laughter." Holistic Nursing Practice 23.6 (2009): 349-354. CINAHL Plus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 12 Oct. 2010.
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