Laughter Is Good Medicine

Here is a little article on LAUGHTER.  It's not just for kids! Live it up! Laugh!

Laughter Is a Salubrious Exercise
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
http://geniusbeauty.com/

Laughter is reported to be akin a light workout since it can stimulate appetite, according to a new study presented at the 2010 annual Experimental Biology meeting in Anaheim, Calif. Researchers found the similarity as regards the effect produced upon appetite by moderate exercise and hearty laughter so great that they even coined the term “laughercise” applied to repetitive “mirthful laughter”.

Like exercising, laughter is able to normalize and improve appetite by lowering the content of the hormone leptin in the blood and increase the content of ghrelin. ”The parallel between moderate exercise and mirthful laughter is uncanny,” pronounced lead researcher Lee S. Berk, underscoring that the research may prove valuable for parents and care-givers to positively influence the appetite of children and patients who are limited in their physical activity.

It has already been discovered that laughter and the general feeling of happiness ease stress and decrease the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases through bringing down cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Obesity Article

I wasn't able to figure out how to add a pdf file to the blog and some of the text that shouldn't be bold is bold and some of the text that is italicized, shouldn't be...it's going to take a bit of practice I think.  Anyway,  here is an interesting article that is being printed in my work newsletter for January and thought it had some very good information.  I did go to the link to check my BMI...not good. But now I know where I stand with that! Yikes! 

ADULT OBESITY:

            … a Costly and Growing Epidemic

Thinking about tackling your weight for a New Year’s resolution? You are not alone!  Most Americans are clinically overweight, a condition that carries significant health risks. Choosing to make a change, getting started and staying motivated are all difficult tasks… set short and long term goals that are realistic and attainable, get support (friend, neighbor, spouse, or health counselor), and take baby steps… You can do it!  Read on for some great advice…

~Nurse Karen J  (Karen is one of the Parish Nurses here at Trinity)

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            We all intend to eat healthy diets and exercise, but life gets in the way… hectic schedules punctuated by the ease of grabbing fast food and less-than-healthy snacks cause ounces, then pounds to sneak up on us… Obesity is a major public health issue in the U.S.: obesity rates are the highest in the world, with 68% of American adults categorized as overweight, and one-third of those are clinically obese. Factors that increase the risk of obesity include genetics (influencing the amount and areas of body where fat is stored), family history (due to both genetics and behavior patterns of food choices) and age (which decreases activity). Other factors that contribute to obesity are metabolism, environment, culture and socioeconomic status.

            According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) obesity criteria, a body mass index (BMI) between 25.0 and 29.9 demonstrates overweight; BMI between 30.0 and 39.9 is obese; and, BMI over 40.0 is severely or morbidly obese. (Below 19.0 is underweight; 19.0 – 24.9 is good!)

What’s my BMI?

            BMI is based on metric measurements, dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters; BMI = weight/height ²  For an on-line BMI calculator, go to www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi, enter your height in feet and inches, enter your weight in pounds, and your BMI is calculated for you!

            Excess weight, in simplest terms, is the result of taking in more calories than are burned up through activities each day. It isn’t enough to say, “…but I have big bones…” Of course, the body requires some fat for energy storage, insulation from extreme temperatures and “shock absorp-tion” (preventing injury to deeper muscles and bones). But, too much fat can have serious health implications, such as hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and cardiac disease. Especially when combined with smoking, alcohol use and high levels of stress, excess weight can have serious, even deadly effects on the body.

            In our “land of plenty”, food often comes in “super-sized” portions, facilitating obesity. Also, passive entertainment such as computer games, rather than physical activity like walking, swimming, running track or shooting hoops, has become the norm, turning many Americans into “couch potatoes”!

What is the price tag of obesity?

     The medical costs directly attributed to obesity in the U.S. each year are estimated at $147 billion!

            It’s important to understand that obesity is not only a product of our eating habits, but our exercise patterns, cultural mores’ of equating food with love, insufficient sleep and stress. As little as 5-10% reduction in body weight can improve your overall health status!

            Reducing your calories by as little as 250 calories a day may help you lose a half pound per week….Decreasing your intake by 500-1,000 calories a day will produce a weight loss of one to two pounds per week… “But , I have twenty pounds to lose”, you say…. Well, remember you didn’t gain them all overnight… taking them off

slowly by making significant changes in your diet will get lasting results! Do this by replacing high-calorie, low-nutrition foods (e.g., processed foods with lots of sugar and fats) with more nutritious, lower-calorie foods including whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

            Remember, exercise plays an important role in preventing and remedying obesity: exercise has been referred to as “the fountain of youth” for many reasons… it stimulates the brain by providing it with valuable oxygen (delays the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease); improves your mood (often prescribed as treatment for depression); combats chronic diseases (high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, some forms of cancer); promotes a good night’s sleep (without drugs); is a great way to make and keep friends - sharing an exercise experience like walking through the mall or improving balance with a tai chi class with a buddy makes it more fun and keeps us emotionally limber, too!

            Weight-loss medications and surgeries should only be given consideration when diet, exercise and lifestyle changes have not proven effective.

            Many societies judge beauty by weight (“you can never be too rich or too thin”) and see overweight people as gluttonous, lazy, poor employees and costly to society. Such biases may contribute to depression, lower self-image, even suicidal thoughts. Instead of prejudice, avoidance, or ridicule, let’s reach out to those who desire to control their weight with acceptance, modeling good eating and exercise habits, and encouragement, helping them to celebrate (without the 3-layer chocolate cake!) success in reaching and maintaining reasonable goals.

by Marla Lichtsinn, RN, MPA, CIC, FCN, Parish Nurse  marla.lichtsinn@psd-lcms.org

PERMISSION GRANTED TO REPRINT!

Preperation

Hello Girls!  Well here is the new blog to track us during the new year.  Our goal is to set one small goal each week and then report on our progress at the end of the week. Our end goal for the year is not to lose pounds, but to live a healthier life style.

My first goal will be...to remember to take my medication each morning and night.

This gives you an idea of how simple each weeks "work" can be.  If I choose to add another goal to it for the next week I can do that or I can just stay with the one goal until I feel I have accomplished it to my satisfaction.

I also encourage you to post tips for all of us on anything that is positive, or helpful to us and our ultimate goal of living a healthier life style.  Menus, interesting articles, jokes, inspirational stories, etc.  We'll get the hang of it as we go.

I'm know that by us all sharing and helping each other to do this it will bring us closer together and encourage us to want to do better.  And when we reach for that one cookie be sure there is a carrot handy too!

We begin on January 1, 2012...Let's Go For It!