I was in my very busy gym the other day and saw (mostly because I first heard) a guy doing an exercise called rebounding.  The sound was actually really distracting and sounded like it could put you in excruciating pain if you hadn’t properly warmed up. I have never tried rebounding, so I thought I would look into it and see what it’s all about – and share it with all of you.

Rebounding is a bit different than jumping on a trampoline, which I personally think is both fun, good for you and brings out the kid in you.  I remember jumping on trampolines as a kid and how silly I felt and giddy.  See our past post on trampolines and how much fun they are.

We had a huge one in our neighborhood in the back of a restaurant, so while my parents could sit on the patio, my sister and I could jump and have hysterical fun. And get winded, and also get a really great cardio workout – but we didn’t care about that – we just wanted to have fun.

Now, I realize that there are probably rebounders of various quality, and the one I heard at the gym likely was not of high quality. It was squeaky, and didn’t sound smooth at all.  There are premium rebounders though that I’ve read really good reviews on. I think you have to go a little higher end with this piece of exercise equipment or you’ll be sorry.

Rebounders are essentially mini trampolines. They come in either a straightforward upright model, or one that is sort of sideways that is designed to be pushed up against a wall for support so you can rebound off of it sideways and do plyometric-type exercises.

The benefits of a GOOD rebounder are that they provide excellent, high intensity workouts that burn quite a few calories in a relatively short amount of time because of their high intensity.  You absolutely need a smooth one that is easy on the joints though, or these rebounders can really do a number on your joints and make your neck and back sore if these areas are already sensitive on you.

You also need to get a really sturdy one. Remember, you are putting all your weight on it over and over, and you are impacting it in a big way when you come down on it, so you need something of solid, high quality construction.

Rebounding can be a great, short workout.  It’s high intensity, so it burns fat, and you can also really sculpt your leg, thighs, butt and ab muscles and work on your core strength with some of the exercises provided.

I’ve had a cold – a pretty bad one – for a few days now. However, I’m starting to feel a little better. I actually don’t feel like sleeping all day like I did just a day or two ago. So my energy levels are a little higher now, which is nice.  A lot of people question whether or not they should work out when they’re not feeling well.

It’s actually quite a common question because most people think they might make themselves sicker if they work out.  Especially since we are in the thick of flu and cold season, those who work out often are feeling it since they feel trapped into being a couch potato when they’re not feeling good.

But the answer to the question is very simple. You can certainly try a light workout, but if your body is telling you STOP then you need to stop.  Your body often needs all of its resources to fight a bug such as a flu or cold, and when you work out, you are demanding energy and resources from your body.

This is how you actually burn calories from exercising – you are demanding resources of your body such as increased blood flow, heart rate, and increased oxygen circulation. All of this takes energy, and if your body is telling you no during your attempts at working out while sick, then you simply have to stop and not push boundaries.

When you start to feel better, try doing something really light and therapeutic, like a yoga DVD.  This tends to be more calming and less demanding than a hard cardio and weight workout, but you have to choose an easy one because things like hot yoga or ashtanga can be every bit as demanding nad physical.

One thing I’ve found that helps me recover from a flu or cold quicker believe it or not, is our far infrared sauna.  Because it heats my body, it creates a sort of artificial fever. The reason our bodies get a fever when we’re sick is because this is the body’s attempt at killing off the bacterial or viral infection that is making you sick.

Heat kills many viruses and germs, so getting into the sauna can definitely help you to fight off the bug better. I also increase my intake of vitamin C and other antioxidants simply to make myself feel better and more energized.

Drinking plenty of water – I add lemon juice, freshly squeezed to mine – it also good for recovery as often you feel dehydrated during a cold or flu.  Also, see our past post about coconut water for better hydration – interesting read.

Once you start to gain your energy back, that’s when you can try to work out, but working out when the flu or cold has its hardest grip is probably not a good idea – this is your body’s way of telling you it’s down for the count.

Review : Ripped in 30 with Jillian Michaels

In a good way of course. Jillian Michaels has outdone herself with another DVD that’s a kick butt workout compressed into a half hour. Just what I love, because I hate sweating it out at the gym or in my basement with the precious little time I have in my day for too long. Sure, I want to look good – even great – but I just don’t always have that standard hour that everyone seems to think works so well when it comes to working out.

The DVD is called Ripped in Thirty. It uses the same principles as her 30 Day Shred video, but it kicks things up yet another notch in my humble opinion. Case in point, I did the first workout and was sweating profusel as well as cursing Jillian and her damned cohorts within the first five minutes.

These are a lot more dynamic and have some more complex moves, but they really do get the job done. They are a little more ab-focused as well, which is what I’ve always felt was missing from her 30 Day Shred DVD.  I love to get an ab workout in every since time I get in exercise mode because my abs are one of the first areas of my body that starts to feel like squishy mush when I am lazy for a couple days and just taking it easy.

When my abs are tight and toned, I feel much leaner, sit and stand much taller, and tend to look much thinner (not to mention more confident) so kudos to Jillian for focusing more on the core in these. Mind you, you might not be doing tons of crunches, but the exercises are built to engage the core a lot more.

Level 2 is definitely harder than level one with some more compound moves and a little more explosive movements than the first segment. The DVD contains 4 workouts, and they are progressively harder, so you really have to be in shape to get through them and to practice them regularly.

She does a lot more stretching and cooling down in these ones, perhaps because she got feedback that there was not enough of a warm up in the first ones and people may have been getting injured. I know when I first did 30 Day Shred, I really felt it in my ankles, and they actually swelled a bit because of all the explosive movement.   In comparison, this one does a lot better job on warming you up and preventing injury.

All in all, Ripped in 30 is a GREAT DVD. I really love these DVD’s too because they’re inexpensive. I got mine for just under 9 bucks on Amazon and will be doing it for years to come. Can’t beat that!

My sister is a Capoeia enthusiast. She also happens to be in a lot better shape than me.  This, combined with the fact that I am not used to moving in the unique ways that this demanding sport/martial art/performance art pastime demands, made me one sore puppy a couple days after I attempted it with my sister in a class.

She came to visit me here in Ohio. The last time we went together was about a year ago. She has since gotten a lot better at this art, and I was impressed at watching her play/spar with some of the kids and the instructor. It can be very intimidating at first, especially for someone like me who is more of an introvert by nature.

Capoiera is a sport that is part martial art and self defense and part creative expression/dance. It’s hard to explain it until you actually see it in practice. You and your partner really have to trust eachother, and there can be a lot of physical contact between the two of you, but no one should get hurt unless thee is some misread body signs – which inevitably happens.

Capoiera involves a lot of roundhouse sort of kicks, so it requires a lot of lower body strength, but I feel it requires even more upper body strength. We practiced at a local gym for about an hour and a half, and not only was I dripping with sweat, but I was also worn out and my muscles were extremely sore the next day and for the next few days after that.

There are a lot of movements in Capoeira that almost seemed counterintuitive to me. One example was where I stood toe to toe with the instructor, but we were facing away from eachother. We were supposed to turn and kick over eachothers body over and over again, regaining our footing each time. It felt like I should have been kicking forward, but really I needed to be kicking back.

This sport is really fun, but extremely demanding of the body. It is also demanding of time if you get into it seriously and want to get really good.  I have to say, it’s really impressive to look at, and very fun to practice here and there, but in the end, the sport is actually a little too demanding on the body for me.  It’s great to get you in shape fast though.

There are many different levels of commitment to reach potential fitness goals.  You can buy or rent DVD’s and do a 30 minute or more workout at home whenever you can find the spare time.  Other people may join a gym or health club and sign up for various fitness classes.

For the really motivated individuals, there are exercise classes called boot-camp workout sessions.  Depending on your motivation and personal fitness goals, this venue for exercise may be for you.  Some people find this is the best route to become toned and strong if they have an upcoming event in a few months, such as a reunion or wedding.

Often, people want to look their very best and fittest to reunite with people they haven’t seen in a long time.  The boot-camp workouts usually offer a choice for the time of day that works best for your busy schedule.  Ideally, a boot-camp class should offer a combination of cardio and calisthenics.

Instead of promising quick weight loss results, boot-camp classes should focus on improved overall health.  Boot-camp classes should ideally be run by certified instructors.  Many boot-camp classes meet about twice a week and consist of one hour long “drills”.

The name, boot-camp classes, may scare some people off.  But the fact is that your usual boot-camp classes do cater to all levels of fitness coming in.  This style of workout has actually gone mainstream.  Boot-camp style workouts often go for approximately six week sessions.

If you are late or miss a workout session, your instructor will usually call you on it.  This often works to keep motivation strong and enhances a degree of commitment.  The majority of people who sign up for boot-camp workouts are women.  Women tend to like the group training more and the comraderie with others while attaining a fitness goal.

A good boot-camp workout series of classes keeps it interesting and keeps the class flowing.  A full body workout should be offered in a quality boot-camp workout session.  You want to see a combination of aerobics such as running or jumping jacks with interval training such as lunges.

To see if boot-camp workouts are agreeable with you and your fitness goals, many gyms and trainers offer a one week trial for free.  This way, you can see how it fits with your lifestyle, goals and schedule.

Ideally, after about six weeks of sessions that meet two times a week, you should be feeling stronger and more fit.  In a good boot-camp workout series, your instructor will find workout variations to “raise the bar” a little more and still let you use your muscles and still feel a little burn to further your strength even more.

So I just had my first opportunity to really get ou tand about in the yard and do some yard work. It was a perfect day to do it. At first I thought it was a bit chillier than I would have wanted but once I got going and got my heart pumping and circulation going and started to really work, I was glad it was only about 55 degrees!

I also like the fact that it is before it starts to get all buggy outside. The bugs always bother me when I’m gardening, and it’s definitely one of the reasons I don’t like doing that “yucky” work when it’s eighty degrees or higher outside.  Although I will say you get more of a sweat and probably a better workout when it’s hot outside.

What I did today was mulch three large garden beds. Before I could actually spread the mulch though, I had to clean the beds out. There was a lot of debris in the way of dead branches, leaves and other things leftover from last fall and more. That in itself is a lot of work.

There is a lot of lifting, bending and walking with heavy items and wheel barrows when you mulch, especially when you live on a really graded piece of land like we do.  First, I had to hoist bags of mulch that weighed about fifty pounds each into the wheel barrow, then wheel them down fifty feet or more to the garden beds, then I had to spread the mulch shovel full by shovel full.

I was beat!  I’m hoping I really burned a lot of calories because I feel famished and I also feel like I could take a nap after the four hours outdoors!  Welcome SPRING!!! I’m so glad you’re here. It was great to get outside and get a natural workout with some cardio and muscle work in and also feel a huge sense of accomplishment when I’m done.

I will say, there is nothing more peaceful that yard work once you get into it, and the feeling of gratification knowing that you did something to make your yard look beautiful is really the best part.  Oh, and the calories burned and muscles worked. Except now I think I may need an Aleve for my back