Move over Tae Bo, Make Room for "Laughtercising"

Time Magazine lauded laughter as one of "nature's cleverest tricks for keeping us healthy and safe." The newest trend is Laughtercising. It's got people grinning while they are sweating. It's more than grinning, it's out-and-out hysterical laughter and it can be done in the privacy of your home or in a group. Incorporated into your exercise program, laughtercising is laughing rigorously for up to 10 minutes sandwiched into the cardio portion of your workout. The results of laughing this long are a profusion of sweat, ab contractions and lung capacity building.

CHICAGO, IL (PRWEB) January 25, 2005 -- Move over Tae Bo, there's a new exercise phenomenon that's got people grinning while they are sweating. It's more than grinning, it's out-and-out hysterical laughter and it can be done in the privacy of your home or in a group. It's called "Laughtercising". Incorporated into your exercise program, laughtercising is laughing rigorously for up to 10 minutes sandwiched into the cardio portion of your workout. The results of laughing this long are a profusion of sweat, ab contractions and lung capacity building.
   
Time Magazine lauded laughter as one of "nature's cleverest tricks for keeping us healthy and safe." In fact the article mentions laughter clubs cropping up in record numbers. To-date there are 1,000 certified laughter leaders in America. And for those who can't make it to laughter clubs but want to start laughtercising in the privacy of their own homes, Amazon.com is selling a laughtercising CD called "Laugh It Off." The CD features sounds of people laughing to help you get your giggle going. Instructions on the CD advise listeners to "laugh continuously for at least one minute. Every day, increase the laugh session until you can laugh for ten minutes for a great, laughtercising workout."

According to William F. Fry, M.D., associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Stanford University, "Laughing 100-200 times per day is the cardiovascular equivalent of rowing for 10 minutes. When something strikes you as funny, you laugh. And when you laugh, your body responds. You flex, then relax, 15 facial muscles plus dozens of others all over your body. Your pulse and respiration increase briefly, oxygenating your blood. And your brain experiences a decrease in pain perception, possibly associated with the production of pain-killing, pleasure-giving endorphins."

Lee Berk, professor of pathology and anatomy at Loma LInda University in California says, ".....It's a form of internal jogging. What a nice way to get the lungs to move and the blood to circulate."

Laughtercising veteran, Betty Hoeffner of the teen self-esteem building not-for-profit, Hey U.G.L.Y.,(Http://www.heyugly.org)refers people to the ThinkQuest website where they say laughter, ".....gives your diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory and facial, leg and back muscles a workout. So basically laughter is an all over body workout. You can have fun, keep fit, and stay healthy in one easy step! Just Laugh."

Even celebrities know the value of a good laugh. Goldie Hawn has been traveling the country telling people to laugh. She says everyone should ".....do it at least once a day," saying it "provides emotional and physical benefits.

# # #