Most adults have very demanding lives. Many spend an average of 58.6 hours at work, balance family, civic and religious organizations. With our daily lives consumed with more responsibility to shake a fist at, I have found the single cure to a dreary day. Laughing. I love to laugh. The more I laugh, the better perspective I have on everything in life. Apparently, laughing has amazing health and weight-loss benefits.
"The old saying that 'laughter is the best medicine,' definitely appears to be true when it comes to protecting your heart," says Michael Miller, M.D., director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We don't know yet why laughing protects the heart, but we know that mental stress is associated with impairment of the endothelium, the protective barrier lining our blood vessels. This can cause a series of inflammatory reactions that lead to fat and cholesterol build-up in the coronary arteries and ultimately to a heart attack. "People who believe in the benefits of laughter say it can be like a mild workout -- and may offer some of the same advantages as a cardio workout.
One pioneer in laughter research, William Fry, claimed it took ten minutes on a rowing machine for his heart rate to reach the level it would after just one minute of hearty laughter. "The effects of laughter and exercise are very similar. Combining laughter and movement, like waving your arms, is a great way to boost your heart rate."
Maciej Buchowski, a researcher from Vanderbilt University, conducted a small study in which he measured the amount of calories expended in laughing. It turned out that 10-15 minutes of laughter burned 50 calories.
So the next time you can't muster the physical energy to workout, pop in your favorite comedy, prepare to double over, hoot and cat call. Laugh at everything and behind closed doors laugh at everyone. (Of course with moral justification - Wink!)
