Laugh Those Pounds Away

Take two chuckles, a belly laugh, a few giggles and you too can lose weight. Don't believe me. Read the following article.



By Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent 
Published: 11:23AM GMT 12 Jan 2009

Laughing 'can help you lose weight' Laughing intensely for an hour can burn as many calories as lifting weight for 30 minutes, scientists have found. Laughing out loud also makes the chest rise and fall, which in turn means that stomach muscles have to work harder, which can help to tighten them. Laughter gives the body a "mini aerobic workout", they believe. It causes the heart to beat faster, sending larger amounts of blood around the body. Laughing out loud also makes the chest rise and fall, which in turn means that stomach muscles have to work harder, which can help to tighten them. The act of laughing can even help the skin, by using up to 15 facial muscles, helping to give the face a work out. Laughing can also bolster the immune system, aiding the body to fight off infections like coughs and colds. Dr Helen Pilcher, a neuroscientist who also works as a comedian, who carried out the research, said: "We're not advocating you watch sitcoms 24 hours a day, but laughing away excess Christmas weight is a great way to stay in shape. "But you've got to avoid the temptation of consuming extra calories whilst you are laughing - chomping on a Kit Kat or supping a quick half whilst watching your favorite sitcom." Her research, commissioned by UKTV Gold, found that an hour of strong laughter burns off around 100 calories, the equivalent of a small bag of crisps or small bar of chocolate. The same amount of calories could be worked off through half an hour of weightlifting or by vacuuming for almost three quarters of an hour, the research found.