There is a link between happy and healthy. The question is, which came first? Are you healthier because you’re happy or is your good health making you happy? In India, there are clubs for laughter therapy, which have spread to over 7,000 worldwide. In fact, the first Sunday in May is World Laughter Day. Laughter can cure what ails you in several ways. It sets off a reaction in the body that lowers cortisol—the stress hormone—levels. It also improves the immune system and promotes the production of antibodies in both the bloodstream and saliva, which helps fight off disease.
Exercise can also make you happy.
When you workout, you also burn off cortisol and promote the creation of hormones that make you feel good, such as endorphins. Exercise helps you blow off steam when things go wrong. Even pacing can help, which is why people often pace back and forth when under pressure. Exercise also helps you sleep better and the better your sleep, the happier you’ll feel the next day.
Eating healthy can make you happier.
Studies show that by changing your diet, you can change your mood. One study took place at the most violent prison, Aylesbury jail, showed that when a diet change and supplements were given, violent offenses dropped by 37%. Your microbiome also plays a role in your mood. They play a role in your mood and can vary it, depending on the type of microbes in your gut. What you feed those microbes makes a difference in the type of population, which can alter your mood. Feed them healthy food and you’ll be happier.
Does happiness increase health or does health increase happiness?
They’re tied together, almost as one. Feeling good and treating your body right can lead to happiness. In fact, therapists now use exercise as an adjunct therapy. However, intentional laughter and focusing on the good in life also has its health rewards. There are studies that showed that watching funny movies and laughing helped skin conditions and laughter therapy is even used in cancer treatment. It can be a natural mood enhancer, painkiller and boost energy.
- If you want to be happy, you don’t have to wait. Try laughter therapy. In the 1980s, it was found that watching funny videos a half hour a day reduced blood pressure, arrhythmias and cortisol. It lowered the risk of a second heart attack by 2 ½ times.
- Try smiling when you workout and think happy thoughts while you eat. Stress can kill, so deal with it by using breathing techniques, meditation and laughter. Fake the laughter for a while, eventually it will be real.
- A mega study of 200 other studies at Harvard showed that people with a positive mindset tended to have fewer heart attacks and strokes. They couldn’t find whether the positive attitude was from being healthy or whether it made people healthier.
- Even though it’s still not decided whether happiness makes the person healthier or a healthy person is happier, you can improve your chances of happiness and good health by focusing on lifestyle changes, including changing your mood.
For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness Studio