Whether or not you consider yourself a good singer, and let’s be real, most of us do, we all love to sing well. It’s an accepted and fun part of life and a great way to communicate.

The best part is that your voice doesn’t have to be fantastic to begin with and everyone can learn to make a happy sound. Singing is healthy and provides many benefits for the mind and body, so whether you’re singing in the car or in the shower, at a karaoke night at the pub, or in a church choir, let it out, sing well and have fun.

By singing we can show deep feelings and this has an incredible release in stress levels. It makes us relax and distracts us from whatever might be bringing our spirits down. In general, a singing session makes us feel much better.

The medical profession strongly believes that singing is a good form of aerobic exercise for the abdominal muscles, lungs, and blood circulation. Singing with and without music is used as therapy to treat people suffering from many types of physical, psychological or emotional illnesses or traumas and is a regular component of treatment for people who have suffered strokes resulting in speech problems. Singing is a great help for communication, breathing and rhythm.

Within the UK especially, it is becoming increasingly popular for older people to participate in community groups where choirs are part of the agenda and they will find themselves singing anything from hymns to modern songs. Getting together to sing a good song does them a lot of good.

Take, for example, The Zimmers, the British rock group that is made up of forty elderly retirees. They have just released a cover of the famous chart topping song My Generation, originally performed by The Who, and have quickly become a worldwide hit, their popularity spreading to the US and even beyond. Originally created as part of the BBC Television documentary on how older people are treated in the UK. the results of the program have given new meaning to the word retirement for members of this group.

For many retirees, these kinds of singing groups are a lifesaver and they really want to get together with their friends. Many have no family or perhaps their children and grandchildren have moved away, so forging this kind of friendship with others of a similar age gives them a sense of belonging and can only improve their health. They will come together to sing familiar songs from their early life that may well spark happy memories of youth and special times past, making them feel much better about themselves. According to studies carried out in the United States, it has been shown that singing improves breathing, posture, voice and life expectancy.

So no matter what your age, sing your heart out and reap the benefits of good health, healing and happiness!