An apple a day keeps the doctor away it’s true, especially if you have good aim of course.  And as we approach a fave week of celebration for me (National Laughter Week, July 12-18^th and, unfairly, a serious back-seater in the holiday line-up rankings), I’ve been called upon to shed a little light on the subject.

Why should you care about National Laughter Week, and why is this important to you??

Well, Mr. & Mrs. Grumpy Shorts, it’ll make you a better person!  Healthier, Leaner, Wealthier, Greener.  Soooo, Sunshine, keep your peepers right here and I can give you the facts, Jack.

Healthier

• Fact:  Laughter Boosts the Immune System. It decreases stress hormones while increasing immune-cell function and infection-butt-kicking antibodies, thus improving your army of disease resistance.
• Fact:  Laughter Protects the Heart. It improves blood vessel function (so your streets are clear, you know what I’m sayin’??) and increase blood flow, which can help prevent the ole’ ticker from coming to a screeching halt, as well as other cardiovascular problems I don’t much want to deal with.
• Fact:  Laughter Relaxes the Whole Body. A good, hearty laugh relieves tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.  Much like you-know-what…. I was referring to stretching.  Geez, please get your mind out of the gutter.  I’m blushing and feel a wee violated with your filthy ideas.

Leaner

• Fact:  Laughter Triggers the Release of Endorphins. Dr. Feelgood Chemicals from the brain, not from the sinister looking guy on the street corner.  Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and even temporarily relieve pain.  They fight depression, and depression often leads to emotional and over-eating.  Making you… well, not usually skinny… Plus a serious laugh also burns calories.  Much like…. Stretching!  Again!  You! With the dirty mind!

Wealthier

• Fact:  Laughter Attracts Others to You. And if you’re in business, you’re looking to attract.  Marketing 101: People do business with those they know, like, and trust.  Some MBA Course Info:  Humans are also naturally drawn to those that emanate Health (including being Lean and Fit) and Longevity.  It’s the primal instinct in us to seek the Alphas.  We’re also social creatures, and our brains are hard-wired to make connections with one another.  Laughter really is contagious – just hearing laughter primes the brain and readies you to smile and begin to laugh yourself.

Greener

• Fact:  There’s enough bad ju-ju in this world. Please stop mucking up the mojo anymore with your frown.  Plus you’re getting  wrinkles and balding pre-maturely for it.  (Yes, even you ladies.)  Stress and temperament pollute your body the same way gunk n junk are polluting our streams and oceans.  It is all deeply connected, and I urge you to put a lot more laughter and happiness onto the planet for the time you’re here.

Sounds good, right?!?!  What I need you to do now is celebrate with me, for reals!  Smile, laugh, notice the humor and good feelings in the everyday situations, tell a friend… I’ve based my entire life and career on laughter, and look how fantastic and fit I am.  I just did a cartwheel.  I know you couldn’t see it, duh, but I did one for you anyways.  Now go find the person who makes you laugh the most and give them a big high-five from me.  Pass on the love, and remember to Laugh More.

XOXO  Sonja

Sonja Landis

is a Writer, Artist, Mom, and Founder of The Painted Laugh_TM Art Studio & Gallery, where she paints children’s laughter as Modern Art.  She lives a life that does not suck, happily raising her young son and jumping on the backyard trampoline with him almost every day.  She laughs a lot and has been known to drink too much Peach Sangria, which in her defense is truly delicious and has a way of sneaking up on people.

www.thepaintedlaugh.com

Check it.

She invented it.

Epic stuff.

Your feet hit the ground in perfect rhythm with the music.  Your once-sore knees and ankles somehow move faster than you thought possible.   There’s no question that running with the perfect set of tunes can make you feel like you’re performing better, but is there an actual science behind that feeling?

Many researchers are saying yes.

Evidence from a Brunel University study suggests that music can “improve the ‘feeling states’ of exercisers, helping them to derive much greater pleasure from the task.”  And who doesn’t need a bit more pleasure when they’re running?

Beyond just feeling great, the study also suggests that the right music can help you perform better.   It can enhance an athlete’s endurance by 15% and can also provide motivation by helping to “block out the little voice in your brain telling you its time to quit.”

But, as you might have guessed, not all songs will work the same way.  It’s all about the tempo.

As you might imagine, fast paced, high energy songs can be the most helpful for runners.  These songs help you kick it into high gear by serving as the ultimate pace-setter.  Your body naturally moves to the rhythm of the music, and which will help you maintain or improve your endurance and speed.

High tempo songs aren’t the only ones that are good for working out.  Slow-to-medium paced songs are helpful as well.   These songs are a key ingredient to a more productive warmup and cooldown period.  Coupled with powerful lyrics, medium paced songs are also ideal for a person lifting weights.

While finding a great tempo and effective lyrics can literally move you, working out with music won’t be quite perfect until you go back to the basics: find songs that speak to you.  In other words, listen to songs that you like or find interesting.  A song, artist, or genre that doesn’t inspire you will do little to help your performance.   While Kanye West’s “Stronger” may be considered the “best workout song ever” (according to Gold’s Gym), you may find more success with “Dog Days are Over” by Florence and the Machine.

What’s playing on the gym radio or on the treadmill TV doesn’t matter when you can build your own playlist, customized for your pace with your hand-picked songs, and no commercials.  Who can beat you when you’ve got a team of hard-hitting, inspiring teammates in your iPod?

And if a decrease in pain and an increase in performance aren’t enough, there’s an unexpected benefactor in all of this: your brain.  The part of your brain that processes music, the frontal lobe, is also associated with higher mental functioning, planning the future, and thinking abstract thoughts.   When you exercise with the right music, your frontal lobe is working out too.

According to ABC News, “this bit of mental stimulation works for the brain like exercise works for the body. The more you do it, the more those muscles — including the ones between the ears — stay in tune and function more efficiently.”

It’s time to make your playlist, lace up your sneakers, turn up the volume, and have the best workout for both your mind and your body.

Matt Venables and Julie Herman are amateur runners and founders of jog.fm, the premier workout music recommendation engine.  The website suggests music and playlists with a tempo that is perfectly suited to your exercise pace. But Matt and Julie see jog.fm as far more than just music recommendations. It is a motivational tool aimed at getting the average person off the couch and working out.

The pressure is building for us guys. Valentine’s Day is here. The truth is, we could care less about this day, but for some reason – only God knows why – and SHE is not sharing – women find this day to be important. Maybe it is their innate need to be wanted and appreciated. Whatever the reason, with the right attitude, we can benefit as much as they, and make it an unforgettable experience.

Invite your lady to your house for the evening. Tell her to dress up. For dinner, I suggest a Filet Mignon. Go to Allenbrothers.com and order their steak. Many of the top steak restaurants order from Allen Brothers. It will be delivered in dry ice and you will get full and EASY instructions on how to prepare it – just choose your favorite method ( I prefer broiling). Get some long green beans from the grocery store. Prepare about 12 of them. For added freshness, put them in a pot with water and ice cubes for about 10 minutes. Then, place the beans in a pan with a little olive oil, add salt and pepper; place on top of your stove for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat. Prepare a salad – a little romaine lettuce, spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, red cabbage, and your favorite Italian dressing. A nice, easy red wine is a must. Try Santa Emma, 1998, a Chilean Merlot that is light and mellow. On your table is a lit candle and a vase of roses. Enjoy.

After dinner, the night is just beginning – but she does not know it! Tell her that you have a little surprise. Lead her to your bathroom, and prepare her a beautifully scented bubble bath, lots of lit candles, soft, romantic music, and a fresh glass of wine. Tell her you want her to relax and unwind, and enjoy herself with her thoughts. Leave her alone for about 30 minutes. When she can’t stand being alone anymore, help her out of the tub and dry her off. As she walks into your bedroom, she sees lingerie on your bed – you were at Victoria’s Secret the day before ! You know her well enough that you choose the absolute perfect thing. Admire her as she puts it on, then walk back to your living room. Have some fine chocolate for dessert, taking small bites and relishing the mixture of wine and chocolate.  Ask her to walk around and show off. Soak her in. She will love the tension and excitement that is building. Draw it out, draw it out !

After a while, head back to your bedroom and tell her you want to give her a massage. You can buy music CD’s that are specifically produced for massage sessions, or play the Zen music station from your satellite provider. Make sure you have a lot of lit candles, and of course, massage oils. KamaSutra.com offers a nice variety pack.You may know absolutely nothing about massage, but at this point, it won’t matter to her. Go slow and use your imagination. You have created an inviting and sensual atmosphere the whole evening, without ever leaving your home.

Happy Valentine’s Day

www.DennyStanz.com

Ask any woman and these three represent the essence of love and Valentine’s Day. But did you know that each of these has health benefits?  That’s right; a glass of wine, a hunk of dark chocolate and a whiff of a rose can improve the quality of your health.

A study out of the University of Florence now reveals that a glass of red wine a day is good for your health, circulation and cognition. The study showed that those who drank a glass of wine a day as opposed to those who drank more or didn’t drink at all showed significant improvement in cognition, heart health and circulation. Interesting – love and sex are all about the heart, circulation and the ability to think and process.

Dark chocolate (not the candy store kind but the real stuff) is rich in antioxidants which go to work to fight those free radicals floating around in your body. One way to see free radical formation is to look at the age spots on your hands. We all have free radicals bombarding our body. That’s why a diet rich in antioxidants is good for your health. Antioxidant foods such as chocolate, red wine, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, spinach and prunes help the body neutralize the free radicals by preventing damage.

Dark chocolate also gives us an uplifting, euphoric, affectionate, loving feeling as it causes the body to release a feel good neurochemical called PEA – also known as the “love peptide”.

A rose is a rose – whether it sprung from the blood of Venus or not, the rose is the queen of flowers when it comes to love. In aromatherapy the oil of the rose is used to release nervous tension and depression, as it is uplifting, stimulates the heart chakra and balances the female reproductive system.

Is it any wonder men have always brought wine, chocolate and roses to show their admiration for a woman? Being relaxed, open, calm, energized and balanced certainly makes way for love and sex to happen.

Show this article to your lover. He or she will get why you would love a glass of wine, chocolate, roses and thou for Valentine’s day. And if you do not presently have a lover – give these to yourself and watch as your mood changes and you open your healthy heart to the potential for love to come your way.