HealthiaCynthia

Big Girls Do Bounce

Filed under: Health & Wellness, Good Sleep, Blog Catalog, Rebounder Health, Bouncing by healthiacynthia on July 4, 2007 1:54 pm

A number of years ago in Saskatoon I attended a demonstration of "reboundology" with a woman named Linda Brooks.  I was impressed that this older woman (I believe she was around 70 at the time) looked about my age and had such flexibility and well…just jumpability….on the small rebounder that she was demonstrating on.  She talked about how rebounding is one of the best possible all-round exercises– that every cell in the body is bathed and strengthened with bouncing on a small trampoline.

I'm always looking for ways to get fit with a minimum of actual exercise.  It sounded good to me.  In fact, it looked like fun!  I remembered that as a child we had gone to a lake in the summers where there were pay-to-bounce trampolines and we kids had had a fantastic time on them.  

Linda had talked about how important it was to have a proper small trampoline to jump on.  The cheap units that you can usually pick up at a garage sale for a song are generally too firm and give a jarring effect like you would experience jogging along a paved road.  Jogging on "the best" rebounders will provide as much as 85 per cent less trauma to weight-bearing joints (like hips, ankles and knees).  

I quickly did some research on line and sent away for a pretty deluxe rebounder with "all the bells and whistles": a solid frame made of tubular steel, six legs that sat firmly on the floor, polypropylene covering with polyester reinforcement threads, nickel-plated grommets, good quality springs, a warranty and even a bar I could hold on to when I was 'learning' to rebound (for balance).  

My new rebounder even folded up for portability and went into a neat over-the-shoulder sports bag.

Because I was enthused, and because the thing cost so much, I happily conformed to a "suggested" progressive routine.  I began with the "health bounce" (where the feet don't leave the mat)for a minute, and worked up to a place where I was doing a variety of jumps and jogging routines anywhere from 20 minutes to a half-hour, sometimes three times a day.

I felt swell.  I slept well.  I had lots of energy and went for a couple of walks before/after work each day as well as rebounding.

Then, as sometimes happens, I stopped rebounding.  Maybe we went on a long trip and I just never got back at it?  I can't recall.

A couple of months ago I did a 16-day fast.  At the completion of the fast I was very weak and lacking in energy.  I had not expected this since in the past I 'bounced back' from other fasts with increased vim.  I found that walking upstairs to the bedroom almost drained me of any reserves.  Then I remembered the rebounder and some of the benefits I had read about using it…

I did a quick read of the slim book on rebounding by Karol Kuhn Truman called Looking Good Feeling Great (she also wrote Feelings Buried Alive Never Die ). 

I got inspired!  

Truman covers every possible question around rebounding from "How Does Rebound Exercise Work– and Why?" to examples and testimonials of how rebounding has made a difference for everything from weight loss to sports conditioning to calming a crying baby.  

So, how does it work?  In a nutshell, when we rebound we increase the pull of gravity on our bodies– these gravitational forces "condition, tone, and strengthen each body cell." 

I began with the Health Bounce, feeling a little like I was "slacking off".  Truman clearly states that it is important not to do too much at once… to build up to about fifteen to twenty minutes of rebounding each day.  

I bounce first thing in the morning.  Bouncing wakes ALL my cells up.  Then I go for a walk with my husband and our dog.  Then I have a Red Green Smoothie.  Life is great!  I actually feel much better, and I sleep well.  My husband also is back to bouncing.  We have the rebounder right across the room from our bed.

This past weekend I went on a four-hour hike in a rather remote area near the beautiful Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island.  I was thrilled to walk through the rain forest and invigorated by the activity.  I crossed a bridge of logs over a gorge, and a little later on, a board-covered suspension bridge.  After about three hours on the hiking trail, we forded a small rushing stream.  I peeled off my shoes and socks and savoured the ice cold water on my hot feet.

I am not a regular mountain hiker, so three hours of this activity was beginning to tell on my lack of experience.  I started to feel quite tired and was more than a little alarmed by the prospects of climbing up a rock-laden incline that had been ravaged during the storms of this past winter.  But there was no way around it… I wanted to get home before dark, as I know my fitter, younger, more fleet-of-foot companions did.

Partway up the hill I had to step up on a ledge a little higher than was comfortable and secure-feeling.  In that peculiar slow-motion awareness of a fast-occuring event, I was aware that I had crumpled and was falling hard, onto large, sharp rocks, downhill.  I said a prayer asking that I wouldn't be incapacitated, that I wouldn't need my comrades to carry me out.  God answered.  I was tenderly ministered to by my climbing partner and a couple of young adults who were just happening by at the time of my fall (interesting really, because they were the only other people we came across during the hike).  I was able to gingerly 'walk' by myself, with more than one good hand to hold on to at points on the upward trail.  I have a bruise on my left flank the size of a baseball, and a bigger one on my lower back, but thank God, not on my spine!  

Going back to my former vigorous bouncing right away is out of the question, but I have been doing the "health bounce" for fifteen minutes this week.  I notice that I have much less pain, and we figure that the bruises and pain will be gone by the end of this coming week.  I have used a combination of essential oils (Panaway and Relieve It ) in rotation with Arnica Montana homeopathic drops.  I sleep well and am now able to get out of bed with no excruciating sharp and searing pain.  Ed thinks that this is a great testimony to the combination of 'complementary' treatments, particularly the Rebounding.

In case anyone is interested in seeing what the Health Bounce looks like, I have made a short (and very dorky– sorry) video that you might want to watch.  Just click here to go to it.  I am attempting to put it on youtube and will change the link when I have done that.

 To learn more about the Cellerciser that I bounce on, click above.

——————————————————————————————————————

"The Perfect Health Program covered all the questions I had about eating a raw vegan diet."

 


WHY I LOVE LIVING IN CANADA

Filed under: Canada Day, 140 Years, Confederation, Blog Catalog, O Canada, Canadian Bloggers, July First by healthiacynthia on June 29, 2007 7:39 am

Canada Flag on Blue Background I want to thank all the Canadian resident bloggers– and others, some from "Facebook", who came on to this blog (or on to their own) and came up with a ton of reasons that they love living in Canada.  Here they are (in no particular order, and perhaps some are repeats, but that is okay):

1- Liberty: Freedom of Religion and Separation of Church and State (no one is telling us what to believe)

2-  Vision: We can grow hemp in this country to supply a huge demand, domestic and otherwise,for this healthy, versatile seed and fibre. 

3-  Gifts: I enjoy the gifts of art and entertainment from the stellar likes of Joni Mitchell and Margaret Atwood to Feist, the Fringe Festival and Barenaked Ladies… sometimes our indigenous artists go elsewhere, but we continue to honour them as Made in Canada.

4-  We still continue to have Gun Control laws in Canada.  Thanks to Michael Moore (in "Bowling for Columbine") for appreciating us so much that we have started to recognize for ourselves how important an issue this is to uphold.

Alyza and C. at parade on Canada Day 20075-   Lots and lots of fresh air (spend time in a disadvantaged tropical country and see what it means to return to lots and lots of fresh air and clean water).

6-   We have CBC.  As a child I was a little frustrated that my parents always had the radio turned to CBC (including the opera programs)…. then when our kids came along, they called CBC "Mom's opera station"…. now I notice that they listen to CBC on their car radios… it's a lovely tradition

7-  CBC showed us that over a million voting Canadians feel passionately about 25,000 nominated "Wonders of Canada".  The final Seven Wonders of Canada can be seen here, along with other nominations. 

8- I love living in Canada because I can always find someone who knows someone I know wherever I travel.  It's probably because our population is still relatively small (and we are quitemobile?)  Our Church community, for example, accommodates newcomers and long-timers with a
down-home welcome– the executive of the Canadian conference might be picking up garbage with you this summer at the end of a Camp Meeting.)

9- I love hearing my friends who came to Canada as refugees tell me that although they originally wanted to go to the US, after they came here and settled they were so relieved to be living in a "nice Canadian" city, and that they hear from compatriots in other countries that there is more hurtful racism, crime and huge medical costs.  Most people I know who come here as refugees are grateful and feel safe. 
10-  I love living on Vancouver Island where almost all my neighbors came from the Canadian Prairies somewhere and we can all rejoice in having had a "much nicer winter here" (than we would have had in Saskatchewan), even though the locals tell us that this is the worst winter they have had in 50 years.  When you have lived through rough Canadian Prairie winters you know that you can deal with anything that comes your way.

-Cynthia at Healthia Cynthia 

 11) We are blessed with a huge country, giving us lots of room to spread out without stepping on each other’s toes

12) We produce vast quantities of Maple Syrup

13) We are loved everywhere we travel thanks to our kind and gentle personalities

14) We invent some of the top technology in the world (and then we sell it to other countries… )

15) Our beer commercials are awesome and loved by all

16) We represent acceptance of multiculturalism

17) We support Medicare

18)8) We represent one of the widest artist communities

19) We have a hard education system that challenges our students to grow 20) Our universities are cost efficient and accessible as well as highly rated

-Natalie at Logo Tree Designs

21. Freedom to work in field you want.

22. Disability available if you can not.

23. Freedom of expression.

24. You can still be a stay at home mom if you wish to.

25. Everyone gets health insurance.

26. Our young people have a choice to join the military if they want– they are not forced.

27. We can have animals as pets and part of our household.

28. We can have our faith.

29. We do have a voice and exercise it in voting.

Patricia Buchanan (a "Facebook" Friend)

30-I honestly love a crisp -28 morning, as long as there’s no wind. The snow crunches, the sun shines, and I feel warm and free. I like the way the air feels so fresh in my lungs. Think I’m crazy? Walk outside in a t-shirt on a calm -30 morning. Just don’t touch anything metal.
Yes weather - we can hit +40 and -40 within one calendar year.
Armed Forces in Parade 31-Scenery - we have diverse, incredible scenery.
32-Sunsets - dusk and dawn are best in the north.
33-Mounties - who else has something SO cool?
34-Lakes, rivers, prairie, mountains, The Canadian Shield, tundra, forests.

Conrad Jantzen (a "Facebook" Friend)

35.  The people.  The diversity.  The warmth.  People around the world are always happy to meet a Canadian

36.  The Geography.  Wow..this country is HUGE.  We have every type of geography and weather covered in this country.   The mountains take my breath away every single day.

37.  Our Political System.  For all it’s flaws and corruption, it has thankfully been fairly transparent AND changeable.  When the people speak, they are generally heard.  Thankfully here, the governments still seems (mostly) to work for us and not the other way around.

38.  Our Healthcare.   Again, it is dreadfully flawed and needs a total overhaul from the ground up, but I am still thankful it exists.

39.  The Canadian sense of humour.  (see..H.U.M.O.U.R. - the REAL spelling)  I think we have some of the funniest people around.

40.  CBC.   I love the CBC…especially the Radio.  I listen to Radio One as much as I can.  I think it is the voice of Canada.

41.  Our National Anthem.  It is a good song and thank goodness easy to memorize!

42.  The Animal Kingdom.  I like that this country is still very wild.  That bears and cougars lurk at the edge of civilization.  I love that Eagles fly over my head.

43.   Our Flag.  It took long enough, but it was a great choice

44.  Our International affairs……again, there are flaws, but for a large country with a small population, we do the best that we can.

Crunchy Carpets blogging on Wet Coast Women  

45.Free medical care
46.No President Bush
47.Our trails, mountains and lakes
48.Diversity-We are welcoming of those who are “different”.
49.We are not at war with nations around the world.
50.Four seasons
51.Our friendly nature.
52.Canada’s education system ranks among the best in the world.
53.Seniors are a cared for priority.
54.Quality of the environment.

Rose of Today's Woman  

55. Freedom (that encompasses a lot!)

Pipe Band in Parade56. Safety (in comparison to other places in the world)
57. the change of seasons

58. real maple syrup
59. multiple cultures
60. health care6

61. the Great Lakes
62. lots of forests, rivers, green space

63. hockey
64. civil rights

Laurie blogging at Threat Assessment

65) Canada is blessed with abundant clean air and clean water and not enough people to mess it up, yet. However, we are working on selling off the clean water.

66) Canadian consumers have access to a huge variety of foodstuffs, particularly fresh produce, from around the world. The prices of these goods are inexpensive compared to other nations as Canada allows other countries to dump their cheap excess production into the Canadian market-place. Of course, the Canadian farmer is an almost extinct entity but, right now, shoppers, it’s all good!

67) Canadians consider the “weather” to be a brilliant topic of conversation so everyone is able to communicate with one another.

68) Canadians are unsophisticated and proud of it. Proof: the ‘beaver’ as a nation symbol and the “loon” threatening to usurp that icon.

69) Canada is blessed with the absence of a large and varied population of poisonous insects and snakes.

70) Canada is a world leader. Canada shelters the largest and earliest manifestation of the phenomena known as the “Baby Boomers”. How Canada responds to managing this unwieldy group is setting an example to other countries who are not so hugely impacted. Of course, most of the’go to’ people of the Baby Boomer era have ‘gone’ but do return ‘home’, occassionally, to pick up prizes and host CBC specials.

71) Canadians are not easily seduced bt “pretty words from pretty faces”. Attempts by leaders to create and ‘elegant and elitist’ persona for themselves or their families are usually greeted with scorn and derision. However, the Trudeau Clan were able to suck us in.

Little Girl and Grandpa at Parade72) Canada is a ‘nice guy’ and accepting of the foibles of others…almost to the point that Canada is unaware that evil and ‘wrong’ do exist which leaves the populace struggling with a surfeit of analysis leading to paralysis. A Royal Commission, anybody?

73) Canadians honour traditional values. But seek ways to undermine those standards without actually admitting that change has occurred - witness the establishment of a system of ‘fines’ imposed by the Federal gov’y. on Provincial gov’ts. for any breach of the national Health Care P{olicy. Of course, the infractions continue because that is what is required for the Heath system to function. However, it is easier to ‘fine’ than to admit that improvements have outstripped the ability of the general populace to remedy all the ills that society suffers from. Canadians are not big on personal responsibility and prefer to abdicate their well-being to whomever is in charge.

74) Canadians are peace keepers - who, more and more, require an ever increasing military arsenal to maintain that illusion.

Patricia Maddocks (Patricia is a ToastMaster with Cynthia at the Comox Valley ToastMasters Club )

Stiltst with flag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

blog catalogue