Of all the exercises in the world, laughter is the most effective.

I am far from being an expert in fitness. I do not profess to know anything about how the body functions in relation to its cardiovascular system or how it all ties in with metabolism and muscle growth. However, I do know that there is nothing better for you than a genuine belly laugh, and you should do it as often as possible. There is not a trainer, a doctor, a coach, a shrink, a judge or a priest who will argue that laughter is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself.

My wife laughs readily. Her first choice in the case of an attempt at humor is to laugh. It’s refreshing, it provides energy to the people around her, and it’s healthy.

I remember coming out of rehab, weighing about a smooth three hundred pounds, and all I knew how to do was cry, rage, sleep, eat, and think about the black-hole which was my life. Three of my closest friends rallied around me and decided I should get out and exercise a little. We got together and went to the park to play tennis. Tennis! This was a scene if there ever was one. This was an example of what people do when they love you and they have no idea what the right thing to do is, but they know that they need to do something.

At this point in time, I had not sprinted more than forty feet in probably ten years, I didn’t even own any gym clothes, and I had not swung a tennis racquet in as long as I can remember. I was smoking cigarettes right there in the middle of the tennis court in-between serves. On the court, there were four of us. All four of us smoked cigarettes, three of us were three hundred pounds, and one of us was missing a leg. The whole thing was comical.

I recall, as my friend Michael lofted the ball up for a serve, my friend Jeremy made a smartass comment that was so absurd that Michael couldn’t even follow through with his stroke. The ball just bounced on the court and Michael dropped his racquet. The three of us each grabbed our stomach and doubled-over with laughter. We looked as if we had all been shot in the side. We stopped the game and I think I might have even fallen down to one knee, so as not to faint from the lack of oxygen.

It was a moment.

It was one of those times where I felt alive and was able to appreciate my situation.

It was a feeling of pure joy.

It was life-changing.

It was a point in time when I found something that worked. I had finally found something healthy that made me feel good, that I could do over and over again without any consequences. It was like a drug I had never viewed as a drug before. It was the first time I had felt like a human being in probably a decade.

I vowed to myself to seek laughter whenever possible. If I couldn’t be the benefactor of someone else’s laughter, I would try to provide it. I was tired of being so serious all the time. I was tired of trying to play grown-up and believing that life had to be so hard. I was ready to start enjoying my life, and my enjoyment began with laughter.

Whenever possible, seek laughter.

Peace, Love, and all things Beef related,

Beefcake