Laughter Yoga: A Fun Way to Stay Fit
Last month we talked a little bit about the health benefits of laughter. As the old saying goes, “laughter is the best medicine.” Perhaps this is why new forms of laughter therapy and fitness clubs have had such a wide insurgence over the past few years. Laughter yoga is a popular new form of physical fitness that encourages you to laugh yourself thin.
Laughter yoga combines the beneficial stress management techniques that yoga provides with an intense abdominal workout that a strong laugh can deliver. This is doubly beneficial for those who are trying to lose weight with the Rose procedure in North Miami. Managing stress is important for successful weight loss, as it helps you to avoid triggers that may have caused you to overeat in the past.
How Laughing Yoga Works
Laughing lowers the levels of epinephrine and cortisol found in our blood, which are both stress hormones. This fosters a positive and helpful attitude that helps us to mentally relax and rejuvenate. Proponents of laughter yoga explain that one minute of hearty laughter is equal to 10 minutes of certain forms of cardiovascular activity. While laughter is not more beneficial than many forms of exercise, such as running or biking, it can be a great supplemental activity that can be done anywhere, anytime.
Laughter yoga is understood to help reduce belly-fat. This is because of the intense workout that truly laughing provides. When you laugh deeply for an extended period of time you are engaging in an aerobic workout for your diaphragm as well as your abdominal and facial muscles. When you combine this with the deep breathing techniques of yoga, you get a deeply relaxing activity that enhances blood flow and burns calories. Laughing doesn’t need to be spontaneous to have these health effects. Simulating deep laughter engages the same muscles as genuine laughter, and many people find that when you get together and start “fake” laughing with others, it doesn’t take long before the laughter becomes real!
The next time you realize that you aren’t going to make it to the gym, try having a good laugh about it. Spending thirty minutes laughing on your couch with your family may help you to all be in a good mood and will help you to burn calories.