's Message Sun, Jan 6, 2008

[Guest guest]

's Daily Message SundayJanuary 06, 2008THE POWER OF LAUGHTER

I was raised in a house filled with laughter. Unless, that is, I was being punished for doing something wrong. Which was no laughing matter, thank you, because that meant I was sent to my room without food!

Besides that though, my family and I did laugh a lot and we loved it. We used to watch some great comedy shows on TV. We would all sit there and just chuckle until we cried. Oh, the Honeymooners was one of my faves and so was I Love Lucy.

My brother, Lenny, had a quiet laugh and so did my dad. But my mother and I were like a pair of hyenas on the open prairie when we laughed. Shirley`s laugh was so adorable. The longer she laughed, the louder her laugh got. Sometimes, she`d be laughing so hard, she`d have to get up and leave the room to get herself back together!

I also had lots of comic books when I was a kid and they really made me laugh, too. Oh, I just wanted to marry Little Lulu!

My parents took Lenny and I to the movies almost every Sunday. We loved to laugh in the dark theater between handfuls of popcorn. I also used to hear jokes on the street corner when I was selling pralines as a kid. I`d remember the jokes and share them with my family after I got home. Some of those jokes were a little off-color and my father would ask, Who taught you that one?

As a child, I could make lots of funny faces and as a matter of fact, I still make them! Funny faces can always bring a smile to your face. I`ve always been like the court jester...the one who likes to make everyone laugh. I like being the master of the funny bone. It`s good to make people laugh and it feels good making them laugh, too.

Some smart person once said, "laughter is the best medicine." And I have to tell you...it really is. A lot of people really don`t laugh enough. They're too bogged down with their jobs and their responsibilities of life. I`m sorry to say that they are the people who grow old and gray which is okay but then they grow sad, too.

You can always add to your New Year`s resolutions as you go through the year. Yesterday, I suggested you add doing more exercise to your life. And today, I`m suggesting you add laugh more to your list, too.

When I begin taping a new exercise DVD , I always spend time meeting the crew, long before we tape our first song. I`d have them all laughing...hysterically! And between takes of each number, I`d make them laugh some more! And that`s one of the reasons my workouts are so much fun. It`s because we have so much fun doing them!

After we finished taping a new workout, members of the crew would always come up and tell me what a blast it was working with me and my dancers. They`d tell me they never had so much fun working on a set! I love hearing them say that.

And I know when you do one of my workouts, you see all of the happy faces who, while sweating on the outside, are laughing and feeling so good on the inside.

I`m sure there are lots of memories in your minds that will bring you laughter. Take some of them out today and have a good laugh!

And remember, when you`re laughing, you`re not only feeling good but you`re burning a few extra calories, too!

Love,