Kiss me like you mean it

Happy July. My favorite month of the year. Shall we get your hearts racing? Who doesn't love the hot,  burning kisses? Mouths smothering one another in the first blatant act of your animalistic side that thinks, if you don't kiss me, I will likely fall apart on the spot.

But all kind of kisses are good. And, guess what? Good for you. The simple act of lip touching lip has benefit upon benefit. Love it. A healthy activity that doesn't require a treadmill.  And kissing not only revs up your engines, it is practically exercise proven by our friends at The Mayo Clinic.  Your lips are 100 times more sensitive than your finger tips so give your lips some action, and reap the rewards.  And really, Mayo Clinic, why was I not included in these studies?

1. A small kiss can burn up to 3 calories. Make it count and guess what, you just worked off that morning latte.

2. Kissing can also double your metabolic rate and raise your heart rate to 100 beats a minute. Research on CNN.COM indicated that three passionate kisses per day can burn an extra pound. Add "Busy Lips Diet" to your list of things to try this summer.

3. Kissing reduces stress, anxiety AND the endorphins released during your KissFest are 200 times more powerful than morphine. Who needs drugs when you have lips?

4. The adrenaline produced during kissing pumps more blood around your heart while decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol. Think of all the additional bacon and eggs you get knowing that some heavy lip-locking will reduce that cholesterol for you.

5. You also use, on average, 30 facial muscles while kissing. Instant workout!

6. People who give their spouse or mate some goodbye kiss love every morning live five years longer than those who are too sleepy, decaffeinated, or grumpy to kiss goodbye.

7. The average person spends two weeks of life kissing. Two weeks? I am going for two months. If not more.

8. However, be warned that a truly intense and passionate lipsmack can increase the pulse and raise your hormone levels high enough to reduce your life span by one minute. I don't need that minute anyway since I have added five years by kissing good bye every morning. And believe me,  a truly awesome make out party is worth one minute of my life.

I for one am going to practice all my kisses this long holiday weekend made longer as JohnnyMac, the great surprise trip planner, is whisking us off to Amelia Island tomorrow until Monday night. Beaches are perfect for kissing. MiniMac will be back for a 4th of July tribute and I will see you all Tuesday am.