Laughter, Exercise and Community – The importance of going on an internal jog

“Hearty laughter is a good way to jog internally without having to go outdoors.”
-Norman Cousins

Physical activity does wonders for our body – lowering blood pressure, reducing stress, promoting cardiac health, releasing endorphins, boosting immunity – now what if I told you laughter did the same thing?

Laughter (or as Dr. Wiliam Fry coined the term “internal aerobics“) and physical activity (“external aerobics“) are both fundamental components to health. You can nurture yourself with the benefits of both at the same time.

What’s one of the most effective ways of achieving this two-in-one workout?

A socially supported exercise leadership style increases participant self-efficacy, energy, and enthusiasm. Individuals experience less post-exercise fatigue and care for embarrassing themselves (that would explain why people come back for round two in the evening even when they knows what’s comin’!).

This increased sense of enjoyment integrated around the pursuit of a goal and satisfying social interactions fosters exercise adherence – as Mark Twain said, “He who laughs, lasts“. The creation of a cohesive exercise groups emerges – an atmosphere destined for laughter.

We encourage this aspect of health at COR by celebrating fun fitness everyday through challenges, games, personalized goal setting and a sense of community – but this Saturday we invite everyone!

On Saturday, October 31st we will be offering a full, fun morning of FREE events – Halloween Boot Camp from 7-8am, Pumpkin Carving from 8-10am and then our last Zumba class from 11-12am …. ALL FOR FREE!

Exercise doesn’t have to be boring. Find where fun and fit collide! Be happy, get healthy – “Humor is an antidote for all ills!” – Patch Adams

Here’s to a week of fun, exercising with friends and experiencing the power of a community!

How do you plan on getting your internal and external jog?

COR and the Cure – More than Physical Therapy

"There’s a great metaphor that one of my doctors uses: If a fish is swimming in a dirty tank and it gets sick, do you take it to the vet and amputate the fin? No, you clean the water. So, I cleaned up my system. By eating organic raw greens, nuts and healthy fats, I am flooding my body with enzymes, vitamins and oxygen.”

– Kris Carr

Many of us have become accustomed to flooding our bodies with “dirty water” and then going out to “amputate the fin” – yet, we fail to address the root of the problem.

The norm is to feed our bodies with processed, sugary foods and then focus on dealing with the repercussions. This frustrating process of addressing the consequence rather than the cause can be experienced in countless dimensions. If you think about how COR approaches injury during physical therapy – we make sure to question *why* (i.e. video, biomechanical analysis, understanding the entire picture) rather than only fixing the effect – it is no different than the way we should look at our health. Remember, at all our Santa Clara, CA physical therapy sessions, we put out the fire, we don’t just take the batteries out of the smoke alarm.

Diet is one of the many pieces to the puzzle. However, too often we resort to altering our perception and approach to nutrition only when we’ve reached extreme and alarming lows in our health.

The growing support and advocacy to highlight certain diseases has been huge for awareness and progress toward a cure. My favorite opportunity this awareness presents is the chance to make clear the role of health in each of us – using the examples and proof through others to ignite change within ourselves.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it’s the perfect excuse to provide wisdom from some of the many, incredible examples of men and women who inspired change after being diagnosed with cancer. Whether or not you or a loved one has been personally impacted by disease, we all relate in sharing and contributing to one thing – an ownership of a machine that demands care – our body.

Diagnosed with an incurable Stage 4 cancer, Kris Carr has become one of the leading health advocates and cancer inspirations. It was over ten years ago this wake-up call encouraged her lifestyle change and efforts that sparked a wellness revolution!

It Isn’t Just About Physical Therapy and Personal Training!

A couple pieces of wisdom she discovered through her experiences:

“I knew when I was diagnosed with cancer the only thing I could control was what I ate, what I drank and what I would think.”

“The ability to feel clean and healthy resides in our control. The thoughts and nutrients you allow to pass through your body.”

“Change your plate. Change your fate.”

As we continue getting down to business to support Cancer, we encourage you to join us. Heading into week 1 of our 30 day challenge for Prostate Cancer, let us not forget that October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month! October has become the perfect excuse to adorn ourselves in pink ribbons, race for a cure, share stories and come together to support a cause. Stay tuned on how you can join the COR family in doing so!

For COR, these 30 days allow us to continue striving for a cure. We want to reach new health horizons and you to experience peaks in your well-being. Help us workout for a cure this month, use our hashtag #30MOCOR to raise awareness, donate to our group, or attend our workshops and events. Remember, step one is about making yourself feel better, whether it is with physical therapy or personal training, then it involves helping the community!

How are you going to better fuel your body this week? Which way are you choosing to get involved to spread better health?