We’ve heard that laughter is good medicine for the soul, but it turns out it may also be good for the waistline. LMAO may actually be possible. So have a chuckle and read on.

Laughter

The therapeutic value of laughter has worldwide support.

French Neurologist, Henri Rubenstein said in his research that even one minute of laughter can provide your body with up to 45 minutes of therapeutic relaxation.

French doctor, Pierre Vachet after studying the physiology of laughter concluded that laughter expands the blood vessels, sending more blood to the extremities resulting in more oxygen to every cell in your body

A Florida study involving patients recovering from surgery showed that the group allowed to watch humorous movies required fewer painkillers than a control group that did not see any movies at all.

There are approximately 3,000 laugh clubs worldwide. While laughter clubs do not profess to cure diseases, they advocate laughter as a supplemental and preventive therapy.

The Benefits of Laughter

Laughter is beneficial to everyone. You inhale more oxygen when laughing which increases your sense of well being. Professor William Fry of Stanford University reported that 100 laughs will give your body an aerobic workout equal to that of a ten-minute session on a rowing machine. He likened laughter to “internal jogging,” noting that 15 facial muscles in addition to dozens of others through the body flex and relax when laughing. Laughter stimulates heart and blood circulation like aerobic exercise.

Stress, boredom, depression and loneliness are often triggered by emotional eating. Laughter is relaxing and reduces the number of stress-related hormones (often linked to obesity). A study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine showed that blood flow increased by daily hearty laughing. Expanding stress constricted vessels has a positive impact on blood pressure. Laughing improves your mental and physical state, which helps to lower stress by providing you with instant relaxation.

Your Toolbox

While you probably will not hang up your jogging shoes just yet, the laugh is another tool that you should add to your weight loss toolkit. Laughing has a way of shifting your outlook and putting you in a more positive frame of mind. Even without the obvious physical benefits, a daily dose of hearty laughter is healthy for everyone. So go ahead, read the comics, pop in a Marx Brothers DVD or whatever tickles your funny bone and LYAO, literally.

Related Article: Weight Loss Encourage – 6 Tips That Will Keep You Fired Up

Featured Image: Travel Rockers
Source by Kalvin C. Chinyere, MD