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January seems to be the month to focus on health and fitness. We are daily bombarded with news stories on ways to lose pounds or get fit. Being a bit rounder than I’d like to be, I generally listen, but I really perked up when I saw this headline: No sweat - sing yourself to better health.
“Choral singing can keep you younger and healthier for longer. The benefits are boosted by singing in a choir because it involves both physical and social activity. Studies have shown that people who sing regularly have fewer trips to the doctor, fewer falls, less medication and are less depressed,” says Victoria Meredith, choral conductor and professor at the Don Wright Faculty of Music at The University of Western Ontario.
Some of the benefits of singing come from:
- a sense of mastering an art
- social engagement
- sustained effects of a long-lasting group effort
- creative and intellectually stimulating activities improve brain function and compensate for the loss of brain cells with age
- a disease-fighting protein (sIg A) increases 150 per cent during rehearsals and 240 per cent during performances
Read more from the original article.
Another article on this subject from the Times Colonist.
See also: Tabloid claims “Singing Cures Everything”