Yhem Speaks

I once laughed so hard my cheeks hurt and my stomach tightened like I’d done a mini workout.
It wasn’t from a gym session or a fitness class but it was from one of those unplanned moments that caught me off guard and left me gasping for air between laughs.

Well, it got me thinking that laughter is one of the most underrated forms of physical activity. I call it “joy in motion”.

We tend to measure our movement in numbers, steps, calories and minutes but there’s another kind of movement that can’t be tracked on a smartwatch. The kind that bursts out of us naturally and reminds us what it feels like to be alive.

When you laugh, like really laugh…  your lungs expand, your diaphragm contracts, your heart rate rises, and your brain releases endorphins that make the world seem softer. It’s a mini cardio session wrapped in joy. Science might call it physical activity; I call it joy in motion.

The best part is, laughter doesn’t ask for discipline or planning. You can’t schedule it, force it, or fake it for long. It just happens during a conversation that takes a funny turn, while watching something unexpectedly hilarious, or when you’re reminiscing about a memory that still cracks you up years later.

And when it does, it changes you even if it’s only for a few seconds. Your body relaxes, your mind resets, and for that brief moment, life feels lighter.

Maybe that’s what we need more of and not just movement for the sake of fitness, but movement that feeds the soul. The kind that reminds us that laughter isn’t just emotional; it’s physical, too.

So the next time you find yourself laughing until your sides ache, don’t brush it off. You just gave your heart, lungs, and spirit a gentle workout without any gym required.

And if it’s been a while since you laughed that way, maybe it’s time to find something that brings it back. Because joy, when it moves through you, counts too.

With Stories Always,

Yhem 💞