Without This, Your Health Is At Risk!
Are you overlooking this important part of your health plan?
When you think of health, what comes to mind? Food? Feeling well? Energy? All these things I think of too. Could there be something more important or just as important as food? It’s an important ingredient often overlooked, a by product, if you will. It comes and goes through the day...even our life. For some, it comes easily. For others it’s more work. Even so, without it, your health is at risk.
So what is this important part of your health? Laughter! That’s right, laughing. It may seem insignificant, but it is so richly a part of our well-being. The lasting effects of laughing is important to feeling good and taking life less serious. Surrounding yourself with people who can laugh with you will help you stay young, energized, and healthy!
We all have those friends who are serious, pessimists, or a complete downer. Getting them to laugh can be a challenge. If you are part of the population that is described in the first sentence, lighten up! Surround yourself with someone you can have fun with. The journey of life can, at times, be overwhelming. Believe me, I know! No matter how challenging, sad, or tough life gets, it’s essential to laugh!
I wonder if there would be less drugs prescribed if people could laugh more, enjoy relationships, and only live in the present day? Who doesn’t want to spend more time with someone who is fun, energized and has a good time? It’s a way of connecting to others, making friends, and makes one more approachable.
Health benefits of laughter:
reduces stress
lowers blood pressure
increased creativity
exercises important muscle groups
increases memory and intelligence
strengthens the immune system
it’s a natural pain killer by the brain releasing endorphins
reduces depression and anxiety
improves mood
Another important element is that laughter has been found in research to help fight cancer by increasing the levels of Interferon-gamma in the body (IFN). IFN stimulates B-cells, T-cells, NK cells, and immunoglobulin that works to regulate cell growth. These compounds are part of the healthy immune system and are an important part of our defense against cancer and abnormal growth of tumors. Laughter a day can really keep the doctor away!
Health-bite: Get your giggle on!
*The photo above is my family taken after we got home from a nice meal together. We did this for several years knowing the time was short before the children left to live their own lives. We shared a lot of laughter during our times together.
