Shreveport-Bossier Personal Training

Two separate scientific studies have shown that laugher, or even the anticipation of laugher causes the body to produce health-protecting and stress-reducing hormones:

By Seeking Out Positive Experiences That Make Us Laugh We Can Do A Lot On Our Own To Stay Well

In 2006 researchers investigating the interaction between the brain, behavior, and the immune system found that simply anticipating a mirthful laughter experience boosted health-protecting hormones. Now, two years later, the same researchers have found that the anticipation of a positive humorous laughter experience also reduces potentially detrimental stress hormones. According to Dr. Lee Berk, the study team’s lead researcher of Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, “Our findings lead us to believe that by seeking out positive experiences that make us laugh we can do a lot with our physiology to stay well.”

In their earlier work the researchers found that the anticipation of “mirthful laughter” had surprising and significant effects. Two hormones - beta-endorphins (the family of chemicals that alleviates depression) and human growth hormone (HGH; which helps with immunity) - increased by 27 and 87 percent respectively when volunteers anticipated watching a humorous video. There was no such increase among the control group who did not anticipate watching the humor film.

Using a similar protocol, the current research found that the same anticipation of laughter also reduced the levels of three stress hormones. Cortisol (termed “the stress hormone”), epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and dopac, a dopamine catabolite (brain chemical which helps produce epinephrine), were reduced 39, 70 and 38 percent, respectively (statistically significant compared to the control group). Chronically released high stress hormone levels can weaken the immune system.

The research is entitled Cortisol and Catecholamine Stress Hormone Decrease Is Associated with the Behavior of Perceptual Anticipation of Mirthful Laughter. It was conducted by Lee Berk with Stanley A. Tan, both of the Oak Crest Health Research Institute, Loma Linda, CA; and Dottie Berk, Loma Linda University Health Care, Loma Linda. Lee Berk is presenting the team’s findings at the 121st Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society, part of the Experimental Biology 2008 scientific conference.

The Study

Having found that the anticipation of a laughter event increased certain “beneficial” chemicals/hormones, the researchers proposed that the anticipation of a laughter event might reduce stress hormones. To test their theory they studied 16 healthy fasting male volunteers for cortisol and catecholamine level changes. The participants were assigned to either the control group or the experiment group (those anticipating a humorous event).

Blood was drawn from both groups prior to the event (anticipation), four times during the event, and three times afterward (event and residual effect). Analysis showed that the blood levels in the anticipatory phase decreased for stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine and dopac in the experimental group. Trend analysis showed a progressive pattern of the decrease for the three hormones through the event.

As a result, the researchers suggest that anticipating a positive event can decrease stress hormones that can be detrimental when chronically released. These findings have implications for understanding the modalities that can benefit stress reduction in health and wellness programs.

The “Biology of Hope”

Norman Cousins was a journalist and an editor of the Saturday Review. He was also a pioneer in the idea that beliefs, thoughts and emotions have biological effects (”biotranslation”). His view about the body’s unrecognized ability to heal itself was captured in his 1979 book, “Anatomy of an Illness (As Perceived by the Patient).”

Forty years ago, few scientists would likely have agreed with Cousins. Today, researchers like Berk are beginning to pinpoint exactly what thoughts can drive which affects. Researchers like Berk are finding that, in addition to what resides in our bodies, what resides in our brains and mind is important, too.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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As a personal trainer in Shreveport I assist people in effective weight training, aerobic exercise, and other forms of physical fitness not only in traditional gyms, but also at more convenient locations such as their home or at their place of work. That is why I find this study especially interesting. Although I already knew that personal training can be beneficial in locations other than a regular gym, it is nice to see scientific data that backs me up!

Personal Trainers Beneficial In Or Out Of The Gym - Study Finds In-Home Personal Training Also Effective

Personal fitness training doesn’t have to take place in a gym to have worthwhile health benefits or increase motivation, according to a study presented at the 54th American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting in New Orleans. (more…)

ACE Fit Fact of the Day:

People who exercise regularly will tell you they feel better. Some will say it’s because chemicals called neurotransmitters, produced in the brain, are stimulated during exercise. Since it’s believed that neurotransmitters mediate our moods and emotions, they can make us feel better and less stressed.

While there’s no scientific evidence to conclusively support the neurotransmitter theory, there is plenty to show that exercise provides stress-relieving benefits.

Four ways exercise controls stress:

1. Exercise can help you feel less anxious. Exercise is being prescribed in clinical settings to help treat nervous tension. Following a session of exercise, clinicians have measured a decrease in electrical activity of tensed muscles. People have been less jittery and hyperactive after an exercise session.

2. Exercise can relax you. One exercise session generates 90 to 120 minutes of relaxation response. Some people call this post-exercise euphoria or endorphin response. We now know that many neurotransmitters, not just endorphins, are involved. The important thing though is not what they’re called, but what they do: They improve your mood and leave you relaxed.

3. Exercise can make you feel better about yourself. Think about those times when you’ve been physically active. Haven’t you felt better about yourself? That feeling of self-worth contributes to stress relief.

4. Exercise can make you eat better. People who exercise regularly tend to eat more nutritious food. And it’s no secret that good nutrition helps your body manage stress better.

It’s time to get started

Now that you know exercise can make a big difference in controlling stress, make some time for regular physical activity. We’ll help you get started by listing three activities you can choose from:

Aerobic activity
All it takes is 20 minutes’ worth, six to seven days a week. Twenty minutes won’t carve a big chunk out of your day, but it will improve your ability to control stress significantly.

Yoga
In yoga or yoga-type activities, your mind relaxes progressively as your body increases its amount of muscular work. Recent studies have shown that when large muscle groups repeatedly contract and relax, the brain receives a signal to release specific neurotransmitters, which in turn make you feel relaxed and more alert.

Recreational sports
Play tennis, racquetball, volleyball or squash. These games require the kind of vigorous activity that rids your body of stress-causing adrenaline and other hormones.

Not just any exercise will do

Don’t try exercising in your office. Outdoors or away from the office is the best place to find a stress-free environment. Even a corporate fitness center can have too many work-related thoughts for some people.

Stay away from overcrowded classes. If you work surrounded by people, a big exercise class may be counterproductive. Solo exercise may be more relaxing for you. If, however, you work alone, you may enjoy the social benefit of exercising in a group. A lot depends on your personality and what causes stress for you.

Don’t skip a chance to exercise. Take a break every 90 minutes and you’ll be doing yourself a favor. Ninety-minute intervals are a natural work-break period. And four 10-minute exercise breaks at this time will burn about as many calories as a solid 40-minute session. Work-break exercises can be as simple as walking or climbing stairs, stretching or doing calisthenics.

Controlling stress comes down to making the time to exercise. You’re worth it!

ACE’s Fit Fact of the Day:

Individuals who exercise regularly are less likely to develop:

• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol levels
• Certain forms of cancer
• Osteoporosis

Individuals who exercise regularly are more likely to:

• Maintain a healthy body weight
• Effectively control the pain and joint swelling that accompanies arthritis
• Maintain lean muscle, which is often lost with increasing age
• Have higher levels of self-esteem and self-confidence
• Continue to perform activities of daily living as they grow older
• Experience overall feelings of well-being and good health

Talking to committed exercisers about the benefits of physical activity is like introducing a dedicated shopper to the joys of a Nordstrom’s anniversary sale. After all, those who exercise are no strangers to the freedom elicited by movement, to the sense of accomplishment felt at the end of a long walk or a strength workout.

Those uninitiated in the pleasurable rewards of regular physical activity, however, remain skeptical. After all, how can something as basic as exercise not only improve one’s life today, but perhaps even save one’s life tomorrow?

Why should you exercise?

Researchers have sought to answer this question for years. In 1996, the first Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity was released, detailing the research behind the benefits associated with exercise. This report goes beyond the anecdotal ”it-just-feels-good” reason for exercising.

What follows are the conclusions of years of research on the health benefits of physical activity.

Who is exercise good for?

While not all types of exercise are appropriate for everyone, everyone can benefit from some type of exercise. After all, exercise is not limited to running or aerobics.

You can try water workouts or seated-chair classes. You can play softball or squash, go in-line skating or even take a turn or two around the mall, provided you don’t spend all your time lingering in front of shop windows. And if you think activities such as ballroom dancing or tending the garden don’t qualify as exercise, think again.

The primary factor in choosing an activity should be whether or not you enjoy it. Of course, an okay from your doctor also is advisable, particularly for individuals over 40, or those with special medical conditions or risk factors for heart disease.

How much exercise does it take?

How much one exercises is an individual decision, but numerous research studies indicate that hours of intense exercise are not necessary to reap the benefits detailed in the box to the left. In fact, health specialists now recommend that most adults accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity on most days of the week.

By moderate activity we mean any activity that raises your heart rate and gets the blood pumping without leaving you out of breath or exhausted. So, rather than blocking off a large portion of one’s day, 10 minutes of walking at lunch and another 20 minutes after dinner, for example, is all it takes.

For those who are so inclined, exercising at slightly higher intensities for longer periods of time can bring about even greater health benefits.

Less important than the intensity or duration of each exercise session is making the commitment to do some type of physical activity, whether you focus on aerobic, strength or flexibility training, every day. Soon, the exhilaration of movement, the empowerment that comes with greater fitness and health - these things will have you hooked on exercise.

It won’t happen overnight, and there may be some aspects you find less enjoyable (some people just can’t get over the sweating part of it), but the sense of feeling better, of feeling healthier, will overpower any negative attitudes toward exercise you may still be harboring.

Don’t worry. These, too, will pass. So, isn’t it about time you got started?

MSNBC posted a great story about a family that walked off 191 pounds. It shows what can happen when people get motivated:

The Janssens are a picture of the Iowa heartland — especially at the dinner table. A true meat-and-potatoes family, they were taught to eat whatever was on their plates. And with 10 siblings, they learned early that it was better to take an extra scoop of mashed potatoes than end up hungry! Fast-forward a few decades and all that meat and potatoes (don’t forget the gravy), along with genetics, left the family with health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. Nine years ago, eldest sibling Claudia Meyer (now 65 and a Team Prevention marathoner) had a stroke, and doctors said she’d never walk again. In 2003, youngest brother Bruce passed away at age 47 from a blood clot, and a little over 2 years later sister Valerie, 57, died suddenly from a heart attack.

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