How to Strengthen Your Heart with the Easiest (and Most Fun)
Exercise You've Ever Performed
Wouldn't you love to learn about an easy exercise that really
works? A workout that shapes you and is fun too? Well, I've
found one and this article will tell you all about it. Actually,
I've known about this workout for years, but I recently got some
very dramatic proof of its effectiveness.
An easy exercise is one that is a pleasure to do. An exercise is
easy if I don't have to "make" myself go do it; if I get my
rewards for performing it far outweigh any discomfort of the
work out. The best case scenario for an easy exercise is one
that I look forward to doing and one during which the time
passes quickly - because it doesn't feel like a work out!
If I can apply the adage, "time flies when you're having fun,"
to my workout - that's an easy exercise. And, I know you'll
agree, what I about to describe to you is truly an easy
exercise, one that you'll both love to do and also love the
benefits of.
Being in Good Health is Very Important
This article, however, isn't about me. This article concerns
some dramatic experiences my son, Greg, recently had concerning
laughter, heart health, and exercise.
Greg has been concerned about his weight and fitness for his
entire adult life and have always been a regular exerciser. He's
not spent his life concentrating on easy exercises, but Greg
loves easy ones when he find them. While he likes to think of
himself as an active person, however, the only regular exercise
Greg has gotten in the past year is weight lifting a few times a
week. It keeps him strong, but it's not an aerobic exercise; due
to self-imposed time restraints, Greg hasn't had regular aerobic
exercise for a couple years.
So while Greg is in very good physical shape because of his
weight lifting and healthy diet, my son achieves that without
the benefit of regular, physical aerobic exercise.
Laughter is a Wonderful Addition to any Healthful Routine
What Greg does get, however, is regular laughter. Humor has ten
proven health benefits and, following the Ha Ha Ha Prescription
I created, my son makes sure to experience daily belly laughs at
work and at home. It's quite easy, actually, to cultivate
relationships with people whom you find very funny and give them
five or ten minutes each day to make you laugh. It's great for
all parties involved.
At his work, Greg's friends Clint Vaught and Joe Shrewsbury both
have an ability to get him laughing very hard. These men are my
son's humor muses, their humor produces genuine belly laughs.
The net effect of one of his five minute "laugh sessions" (which
usually occur very informally in Greg's office) is a
mini-vacation for both of the participants. Greg always feel
mentally refreshed and physically recharged; he has had his
daily dose of natural humor medicine.
This comes as no surprise to me, since I have already verified
that humor reduces your stress, relieves your pain, decreases
your anxiety, stabilizes your mood, rests your brain, boosts
your immunity, enhances your communication, and inspires your
creativity. And, as an added bonus, research has verified that
five minutes of hearty laughter produces the same effect upon
your heart as twenty minutes of aerobic exercise.
So you can actually have a cardiovascular workout from your
favorite recliner! Talk about an easy exercise, you never have
to leave your seat!
How Greg's Laughter Routine was Put to the Test
Aren't those eight benefits of humor I mentioned fantastic? Even
without the cardiovascular benefits, how much would you have to
pay for a pill that did all those things for you? And humor is
both free and, as I've said, easy enough to cultivate regularly
if you're willing to make the effort. But, just recently, I got
even more dramatic physical proof that Greg's laughter sessions
are producing dynamite results.
Two weeks ago Greg began experiencing tightness in his chest
that was recurring every evening. It turned out to be something
minor and he's fine, but at the time Greg's family doctor set
him up with a treadmill stress test to rule out heart problems.
Greg nervously reported for his stress test.
When asked by the nurse prepping him for the test, Greg
responded that he was a fairly active person. As she was gluing
the electrodes on his chest, however, it occurred to Greg that
(as I stated earlier) he's not really an active person. This was
not going to be an easy exercise; he was pretty certain that the
stress test might reveal that Greg is not in as good a
cardiovascular shape as he imagined.
The proof would be in the pudding, so to speak - especially if
Greg turned into pudding on the treadmill!
When the doctor discussed Greg's test results, however, he
praised his cardiovascular health. Saying he had the stamina of
a conditioned athlete, he praised Greg for how long he had to
run and how hard the machine had to push him to get his heart
rate up. He told Greg he was in "great physical shape" and that
his heart was a "machine."
Greg couldn't help but immediately think of his daily laughter
sessions with Clint and/or Joe at work. Not that Greg have
trouble believing my research, but here was real, tangible
evidence that my Ha Ha Ha Prescription works! Greg returned to
his laughter sessions with renewed vigor the next day, taking
five minutes to ask his humor muses to give him some belly
laughter.
Laughter and Healthful Eating/Exercise = an Unbeatable
Combination!
While I love this easy exercise, am I advocating that you not
engage in physical exercise and only laugh? Now that you know
about this easy exercise, should you go buy a gallon of rocky
road ice cream to eat with your joke book? Can you throw out all
your healthful habits and since you're watching a favorite funny
television show each day?
No way!
But I am telling you that if you're not including laughter along
with your other healthful habits, you're missing out on some
"seriously" (pun intended) great benefits. You owe it to
yourself to incorporate this easy exercise into your personal
health routine.
We all have different physical needs and I, for example, am very
anal about my healthy diet. But I'm also anal about my
commitment to laughter and not taking myself too seriously
(while I continue to take my responsibilities seriously). And
there can be no doubt that my commitment to laughter is not only
providing me with emotional and spiritual benefits, but physical
as well.
Now it's Time for You to Start Performing this Easy
Exercise!
If you'd like to experience amazing physical, emotional, and
spiritual health like me, perform this easy exercise for thirty
days. I'll guarantee you'll love the results so much you'll
never look back! Here is my easy exercise formula:
Identify your humor muse - a person or thing (a comedy
recording, television show, cartoon book, etc.) that has the
ability to produce genuine belly laughter for you
If your humor muse is a person, share how they are helping you
and help them also understand the benefits of your daily laughter
Set aside at least five minutes a day of uninterrupted time with
your humor muse
Now matter what else is going on with you, laugh with your humor
muse as you did when you were a child - freely and with no
reservations
Repeat every day
Daily laughter is an easy exercise to enjoy. All it takes is
five minutes of your day, access to some funny people or props,
and your willingness. Combined with your other healthful habits,
you will become Superwoman - I know it! In fact, unless you
don't want to enjoy your optimal health, laughter should be a
part of your daily routine.