Do you enjoy singing? Perhaps you like to sing a quick tune in the bath or while doing the housework or maybe you just love to belt out a song at the local Karaoke night. Well, it might surprise you to know that you’re not just having fun, you’re also helping yourself to keep fit, youthful and healthy.
Healthy Lungs
Singing can have a dramatic impact on your lungs and breathing. The physical effort required to sing can improve lung capacity. Singers learn to use deep breathing and build up strong muscles in the torso and abdomen. The various benefits of good breathing, include better respiratory tubes and sinuses, improved mental alertness and improved posture. Good breathing can also help relaxation and sleep. The breathing techniques learned through singing can help us stay calm. The increased oxygen in the body helps in many ways.
A Good Workout
It has been said that classical singing produces the same effect as Pilates and core fitness training. The effort required to project the voice works the core muscles of the body. This intense physical effort can often result in weight loss as well. So when you sing, you are having a light aerobic workout!
Singing Keeps You Young
Another benefit of singing is that it can help keep you young. Singing gently exercises the muscles in your face, and there are many of those. Exercising the facial muscles can help reduce the onset of wrinkles. So forget all those posh and expensive anti-ageing creams. Try singing instead! A joint Harvard and Yale study found that members of the population of Newhaven, Connecticut, had increased their life expectancy through choral singing. The researchers concluded that this was because singing promoted a healthy heart and an improved mental state.
Sing Away The Blues
We often sing when we are happy, but singing when we feel down, may be an even better idea. Singing can cause the brain to produce hormones called endorphins which rush around the body. It has the same effect as when you eat a bar of chocolate. Of course, the good news is that when you sing, you don’t gain weight. In fact, you may lose some!
So next time you head for that Karaoke night, remember you’re not just having fun, you’re doing yourself a whole lot of good too. And next time you’re feeling a bit down in the dumps, just sing!
