If this podcast doesn’t convince you to lighten up, here’s another good reason. According to researchers at Loma Linda University (CA), repeated bouts of laughter offer some of the same benefits as moderate exercise, among them lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol. Laughter also affects levels of ghrelin and leptin, two hormones that help regulate appetite and are also affected by exercise. So not only does enjoying life make it easier for us and our animals to relax and learn, we can exercise at the same time. (To read more about the study, click here.)
Hmmmm. I wonder if happy animals belonging to happy people can lose excess weight faster than stressed dogs whose owners are uptight…
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS | More
Made me think of a new style of Yoga created in recent years and so I understand, growing in popularity, called “laughter yoga.”
Sounds like fun. It reminds me of something Erma Bombeck (I think) said about jogging years ago. She said she’d start doing it the day she saw a jogger with a smile on his or her face. 🙂