My Butt Could Use a Good Laugh

And so could the rest of me.  You have heard that laughter is the best medicine?  Well, while it won't ever surpass the polio vaccine or penicillin, it is good for you.  In fact, laughing 15 minutes throughout the day burns an average of 50 calories.  Admittedly, that's not even an Oreo, but it's not just the calories that count when it comes to a good guffaw.

Laughter helps reduce stress and decrease the offending hormones involved - cortisol, adrenaline and dopac.  This is important because cortisol is a particular problem for those trying to lose weight.  It has a long history of 'protecting' the body by building fat, especially around the midsection, in reaction to stress.  When we were living in caves, this was useful as stress was often brought on by conflict or if the weather turned and we knew that food wouldn't be as readily available.  Now, for most of us, food is everywhere and our bodies never changed their chemistry.

A good giggle not only assists in fighting the bad, it increases the good - T-cells and globulins.  These are agents that act to build and bolster our immune system.  You see, though the science is late 20th century to today, the expression, "Laughter is the best medicine", was sound a hypothesis long ago.

In the spirit of funny, I wanted to bring you a few things that could potentially make you healthier...

From Go Comics - Two of my all time favorite strips -

The American Film Institutes Top 20 Best Comedies of all time (as of 2000) - 

The poster and trailer for the new movie "Cedar Rapids" and yes, for you Iowans, it really was shot in Cedar Rapids:

So, there you are, just a few things that make me laugh.  Whatever hits your funny bone, laugh and laugh often, it's good for you.

Yours in Health,

Kate

Cup of Tea?

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE Starbucks.  In fact, I was given 4 gift cards from the 'Yum from Seattle' for Christmas.  I often get oatmeal for breakfast, sometimes a low-fat breakfast sandwich for lunch and a dose of non-fat latte after a hard workout.  Well, welcome to 2011.

I still want my Starbucks, it's just a little different now.  I started slowly decreasing my caffeine intake when I ended up in the hospital in November.  They were trying to figure things out and caffeine briefly was brought up. Taking no chances (and after 36 hours without caffeine in the hospital), I decided to slow down what I drank.  I won't go through the steps I took to ween off, but suffice it to say, I am down to less than one cup of actual coffee a day.

Instead, I am enjoying tea.  I have been drinking a cup or two a day.  That cuts my caffeine intake substantially, but actually keeps me steady.  Plus, tea is actually good for you.  Here is a link from the Republic of Tea that hits on some of them.  And the picture on this blog is a new tea from them that is decadent in sound, but healthy in reality.

The brief is: tea is high in antioxidants and flavonoids.  It has been connected with overall better health, better sleep, helping fight cancer and even obesity.  It is a good substitute for your morning wake-up needs.  So, as the British say, "Have a cuppa" and enjoy better health.

Yours in Health,
Kate