Coqui the Chef: December 2016

Is kissing really that awesome?

According to medical studies, kissing offers amazing advantages for a long and healthy life.

Those who kiss their partner goodbye each morning live five years longer than those who don’t.
Kissing is great for self-esteem. It makes you feel appreciated and helps your state of mind.
Kissing burns calories, 2-3 calories a minute and can double your metabolic rate. Research claims that three passionate kisses a day (at least lasting 20 seconds each) will cause you to loose an entire extra pound! It's time to start that kissing diet!
Kissing is a known stress-reliever. Passionate kissing relieves tension, reduces negative energy and produces a sense of well being, lowering your cortisol ‘stress’ hormone.
Kissing uses 30 facial muscles and it helps keep the facial muscles tight, preventing baggy cheeks! The tension in the muscles caused by a passionate kiss helps smooth the skin and increases the circulation.
Kissing is good for the heart, as it creates an adrenaline which causes your heart to pump more blood around your body. Frequent kissing has scientifically been proven to stabilize cardiovascular activity, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol.
Those who kiss quite frequently are less likely to suffer from stomach, bladder and blood infections.
Kissing reduces anxiety and stops the "noise' in your mind. It increases the levels of oxytocin, an extremely calming hormone that produces a feeling of peace.
Kissing might even help you lose weight, says Bryant Stamford, PhD, professor and director of the health promotion center at the University of Louisville. "During a really, really passionate kiss, you might burn two calories a minute -- double your metabolic rate," he says. (This compares to 11.2 calories per minute you burn jogging on a treadmill.)
A natural source of pain relief. Kissing provides a natural form of pain relief. Before reaching for an aspirin the next time you've got a headache, grab your honey and lay on a big smooch instead. Dr. Varnado notes that "kissing releases natural chemicals in the body called endorphins, which can be more powerful than morphine to relieve pain" - without the all the negative side effects of using a narcotic, of course.
Last but not least, while kissing may feel oh-so-good, it also has health benefits, too. It triggers a whole spectrum of physiological processes that boost your immunity and generally spruce up that body you work so hard to keep attractive.