Laughing so hard you cry (or pee)
I've been thinking a lot about the power of laughter after last Friday. Sonya and I were positively goofy by the time the five o'clock news rolled around and we had various bouts of laughing so hard we were literally crying (not good when you have to wear as much makeup as we do for work) and almost peeing. It was fantastic. Here's what an article on WebMD has to say about the benefits of laughing:
We change physiologically when we laugh. We stretch muscles throughout our face and body, our pulse and blood pressure go up, and we breathe faster, sending more oxygen to our tissues.
People who believe in the benefits of laughter say it can be like a mild workout -- and may offer some of the same advantages as a workout.
"The effects of laughter and exercise are very similar," says Wilson. "Combining laughter and movement, like waving your arms, is a great way to boost your heart rate."
One pioneer in laughter research, William Fry, claimed it took ten minutes on a rowing machine for his heart rate to reach the level it would after just one minute of hearty laughter.
Here's the article in it's entirety, in case you're interested:
http://women.webmd.com/guide/give-your-body-boost-with-laughter
Ouch!!!!
It makes sense to me that the effects of laughter and exercise are similar. Before our bouts of hilarity, we'd spent about two hours working out with personal trainer Angie Gallagher. She always comes up with unique ways to push us to our limits (wait until you see the Dixie cup workout!) and we leave feeling absolutely spent. We also leave feeling energized. Friday we left with our quads and biceps burning, which continued through the weekend! If you're interested in trying a workout with Angie, check out her website:
http://www.fitnesswithangie.net/
Never was a baller
We're in the thick of tournament time. As I watched the high school girls last week I was remembering how terrible I was at basketball. Frankly, I wasn't really great at any sports. The only reason I ever saw playing time is because I grew up in a small town. If I'd attended schools the size of Ankeny or Southeast Polk I would have been the water girl or statistician. Anyway - back to basketball. I tried playing and I tried to make myself like it. A lot of my friends played, loved it and were good at it. The breaking point for me came my freshman year. My mom tells this story better than I do, but the short version is that there was a very tall, very athletic, very stinky girl on one of the opposing teams. We were playing zone and I swear I spent the bulk of the game with my face in this girl's armpit. I didn't really care for all the contact of this sport anyway (which is why volleyball and softball were more my speed) and I finally decided I just wasn't cut out for it. I think the coach was relieved when I quit. I mean really - who wants someone on the team who says, "Sorry!" every time she boxes out?
That's all for now...have a great night!
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com
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