Laughter and Fitness
by Pam Brooks

Sometimes, when it comes to fitness, we get so focused on those six-pack abs that we forget to work on our outlook toward life. Yet the recipe for long-standing good health may be lots more fun than you thought. Basic ingredients include laughter, optimism, and a sense of humor. Combined, these elements can create a healthier body and a better disposition.

Studies show that if you tend to look on the bright side of things and keep your focus there rather than on the negative aspects, you’ll reap the benefits of a higher self-esteem, a healthier immune system and even improved financial prosperity. The key is focusing on the opportunities a situation provides, not the problems or the drawbacks. Even if you feel as if you were born a pessimist, you can learn to become an optimist.

The ability to laugh at life provides a feeling of power over our problems. Laughter and humor can transform a troubling situation to one that feels lighter and more emotionally manageable.

Actually, the expression, "laughter is good medicine" isn’t just an old adage. When was the last time you really cracked up and enjoyed a great big laugh?

The kind of "belly laugh" that comes from deep inside you has the physical impact of decreasing stress hormones in your blood and increasing the production of endorphins (the "feel good" influence on the brain.) Think back to how relaxed you’ve felt after really letting yourself go in uncontrollable laughter? By releasing tension and pent up emotions in this way, your immune system and energy levels get a boost.

Here are some pointers to help you stretch your positive thinking to expand your health.

• Ask yourself if the problem you are obsessing about will be important to you tomorrow, in a month, or in a year.
• If this was your last day on earth, would you spend it worrying about this problem or that situation?
• Use this "thought stopping’ technique when negativity pulls you off your center —
• Abruptly replace the negative thought with a happy or funny thought. It might be as simple as visualizing that ex-boyfriend or difficult employer in a ridiculous situation that makes you laugh.
• Participate in leisure activities that completely transport you from the heavier thoughts of the world — reading, horseback riding, kyaking, or even a brisk walk with your dog can divert negativity.
• Lighten up your environment by surrounding yourself with positive people, going to fun events and participating in uplifting activities.
• Laughing out loud with a friend, manufacturing the biggest laugh you can at first, then losing yourself in the real laughter that naturally bubbles up.
• Try to come up with different kinds of laughs when you’re in a group — each person thinks of a different kind of laughter, like insincere laughing, sinister laughing, timid laughing, etc. This is a great one for instantly dissolving a group into stress-busting laughter.

You can practice being happy in any given situation. The benefits and rewards may surprise you. At any rate, it’s a cheap experiment. Good luck!

– Pam Brooks