Rebounding and how to bounce back from arthritis

We all need a lift from disease, but have you considered giving yourself that lift by jumping up and down?

I am of course talking about something called rebounding.

You may have heard this term used in the health and fitness world and wondered what it means?  Rebounding is the act of jumping up and down on a mini-trampoline.

Sounds too simple, doesn’t it? Please hold that sceptical thought because rebounding can do amazing things for your health. Here I explain how I achieve super health through rebounding.

Why rebounding works

Mornings can be a drag if you have stiffness or any kind of joint pain. Using a rebounder can be an easy way to get you moving. Anyone with arthritis needs that in a morning!

Making small easy to do jumps boosts blood flow and clears brain fog by boosting your blood flow and distributing chemicals and nutrients throughout your body. This action fires your metabolism by creating positive chemical states and helping your cells to produce the energy molecule ATP.

Jumping around like this also stimulates the immune system by pumping your internal organs and lymphatic system! All this leads to you feeling energised and refreshed!
Making any positive intervention leaves you feeling physically and emotionally better off and that new outlook can give you the confidence to take on new challenges as you build your joints and supporting muscle, movement gives you more energy to tackle the difficult  jobs you’ve been avoiding.  You know, the really awful jobs like getting out of bed tomorrow!

It also helps detox your body by clearing the elimination channels and provides you with a super leg workout that could help keep your mobility for longer.

Why you need a rebounder in your life

Let’s face it, We could all do more exercise.
Rebounding is an ideal way to get you back in the exercise groove after a major illness like Rheumatoid arthritis.
The jumping action is not just beneficial to your internal structures, it’s a lot of fun too!

One of my aims is to show people how to have fun whilst recovering from arthritis.  I think this is one of the most fun ways of exercising ever invented.

The jumping motion massages the lymphatic system and gets those pesky immune cells out of their hidey holes and pushes them back into the fluids that run the body.
Furthermore, I have tons of fun knowing that I’m pushing those cells around and getting the juices flowing! There is no way that I can lay in bed suffering now I know that my daily job is to push my immune cells around as badly as they have pushed me around.

The visualisation of  being in control of the internal processes is a powerful thought. Who doesn’t want to feel in control after losing the grasp of the tiller so badly?
My view is that I am in control of what my body does to some extent and that’s an attitude I seek to push further every day.

Making rehabilitation exercise fun is the most important factor in any recovery. Just believing in yourself and having faith in your own ability to make a positive change is a powerful force for recovery.
Regaining your confidence and rebuilding your self image is essential to a whole recovery.

Rebounding is addictive!

Every morning I hop out of bed, throw on my favourite tunes, and jump around like crazy! Sometimes I’m jumping on that thing before I even get washed or have a bite of breakfast? This activity can be the best fun you can have with your clothes on.

At times I literally jump for joy when a big tune comes on. Flapping my arms around and smiling like a maniac. 🙂 It doesn’t matter what mood you’re in either?
Hear that hot tune drop in and you are off into a different world of rebounding heaven! The smiles it has given me are amazing, and I wouldn’t miss my morning rebounding session for the world.

How hard should I rebound

If your new to rebounding, you can take it as easy or as hard as you like. The general rule of thumb is to see how it feels as you push on and listen to your body at all times. Don’t be discouraged by some early discomfort because this often goes away with time. This may sound potentially dangerous, but the good news is that you can even buy rebounders with support handles attached to them which make your exercise efforts even safer and more enjoyable.

I go pretty hard and have broken many rebounders in my time, but I never miss a session out of my day so you can imagine my rebounders get hit pretty hard with 230 lbs of me jumping on them for 30 minutes every day.

The maximum amount of time I rebound for is 30 minutes. You can get so hot, sweaty, and pumped when you rebound with purpose so its not really necessary to rebound for longer than that, and besides, rebounding for longer than that gets a little much because all of the forces are concentrated on the same muscles and you just get the feeling that you’ve done enough for the day.

Going longer than 30 minutes can make your feet, ankles, and lower leg muscles sore because the angle of the canvas isn’t flat once you’ve jumped on it and it sags towards the floor. Your legs do take some uneven pressures because of this, but don’t let that put you off!

When I started rebounding I was in a tragic state of health and unable to walk. I can tell you that rebounding absolutely helped me to get walking again because it strengthened my ankles and legs.

The astounding leg benefits of rebounding

The effect rebounding has on your calf strength are quite amazing. You can expect a good bit of extra performance in any leg based physical activities you undertake.

The extra power rebounding gave me when riding my bike just blew me away.
I felt like I was on a different bike?
The extra lower leg and hip strength improved my handling a ton and I was soon throwing that thing about like a 16-year-old kid.
At the time I thought I had that bike mastered too.

Taking my riding to another level with so little effort was an amazing feeling! It just goes to show what you can do if you incorporate some new exercises into your regime and try hard.

My take away from that little lesson in leg strengthening was that working all of the muscle groups in new ways is so powerful. The boost I received actually gave me more motivation to return to exercises I’d previously become tired of.  One great lesson was finding out that if you work all the muscle groups you get amazing benefits in other unrelated muscles.
so please, work on every muscle group and keep at it, because you will get better results than you can imagine if you work the muscle and support your body with the correct nutrients.

Rebounding moves the bowels

The  above physical benefits would usually be a great reason to buy a rebounder. Coming next is a slightly gross, but just as important reason to think about reaching into your pocket to buy a rebounder.

Rebounding moves the bowels and intestines like nothing else on earth!

Every morning I make raw cacao smoothie with raw egg yolks and avocado. This is a heavy and nutritious blend of superfood goodness, and I adore it, but by the time I’ve been on the rebounder for 5 minutes, I’m usually dying for a pee and have to hop off.

Spend a little more time on there and nature continues to take its course! Yes, that’s right. This morning workout will get your insides moving and set up for the day, even if you eat difficult to digest foods like raw egg yolk.

Having good elimination is key to cutting acid reflux and other stomach issues. Rebounding shakes things up nicely and gives our gut the very best way of staying healthy. Gravity!

Naturally getting rid of waste foods “on time” cuts the risk of gut dysbiosis and improves our chances of healing the leaky gut syndromes that cause allergic reactions and inflammation.

This is a massive benefit to anyone who lives a sedentary lifestyle.
Rebounding gets you moving, eliminates wastes, and you don’t have to leave the house!

No one has to see your workouts and no one will judge you for being in a less than perfect state.
​Best of all you can put your tunes on “balls-out loud” and jack like a zombie.
No ones looking? Top stuff!

The benefits of rebounding

• Improved moods
• Increased fitness
• Better elimination
• Increased blood flow
• Pumped immune systems

What’s not to like?

Well of course rebounding is exercise, and some people won’t ever like doing any of that.

The inescapable fact is exercise is a vital part of human life.  There really is no way around it, especially if you have a crippling disease like rheumatoid arthritis.

Does all that jumping around hurt

I lose count of the number of people who ask me if exercising with arthritis hurts. This usually leads to the other question…..”Should I exercise if my joints hurt?”

The simple answer to both those questions is”yes!” The caveat to that bold piece of fabulous advice is to always take care when you exercise and build your intensity gradually.

Try to think back to when you were capable of exercising without fear. Did it hurt?
Of course, it hurts! We all know what the saying “no pain, no gain” is telling us. This statement tells us all we need to know about muscle breakdown and rebuilding.
So please, take a little bit of advice from the strong men of the world and build those muscles, because newly built muscle supports your joints and cuts down on the potential for the deadly wasting syndromes like sarcopenia.

I don’t mind having a bit of joint pain in with that philosophy, because I know that moving a joint keeps it healthy, and I figure that if you’re going to hurt and ache it might as well be because you caused that feeling in yourself and know it is only doing you good.

Pump the synovial fluid

Massaging the inner surfaces of the joint with movement is crucial because you can’t massage it any other way.
Once we set the synovial juices flowing we irrigate the cartilage with nutritious healing fluids. Without this movement we get stiff and our joints become painful.

If you don’t believe me, go and sit still for a length of time and see how you feel.
The pressure of gravity builds in the joint and moves the synovial fluid aside, this can lead to the joint becoming “dry” and the cartilage cracking through lack of nutrients and lubrication.

Our friend and foe Gravity compresses the surfaces of the joint until they touch together and this can make them start to feel sore. Once soreness strikes you feel tension in your neck, shoulders, and back, before you know it your walking around bent over thinking “where the heck did my stiff neck come from?”

These symptoms come from lack of movement, not usually because of movement, and once symptoms start to show we then begin to hold our bodies in strange unnatural ways which affect our posture and increase pain.

Newly diagnosed and seriously inflamed sufferers shouldn’t be doing too much exercise, that is just common sense, but you should be trying to move as much as practically possible.
When I was at my worst, the only exercise I could do was lifting one arm in the air with the other. By that, I mean picking one arm up with the other like as if it was a dead weight. I literally didn’t have the strength to lift one arm under its own power alone.

Lifting my arms into the air was a major job and took all my strength, this wasn’t some easy pain-free deal either.
It hurt like hell to the point of making me feel physically sick.
Couple that with motivation crushing brain fog and crippling fatigue, and I wonder how I ever came back from that place. But I did.

In time “rebounding” and “stepping” were a big part of that rebuilding process. Both of these magnificent exercises are tremendously valuable indoor activities that anyone can do.

In the beginning it is best to start off exercise regimes slowly and build up your abilities.  Start at to your own comfort level, but always be pushing for more reps, for longer sessions, and more intensity.
That way you will keep progressing and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you start to get your strength back. Once you see results you’ll get intoxicated with the thought of new abilities and want to go running marathons or some crazy stuff.

Go for it!

Here’s how I see it.
Why should I sit here and do nothing as my joints get eaten away. Sitting around waiting for better days, or better drugs, might seem like the best thing to do because you obviously don’t want to make this painful condition worse,  but it is my experience that If we don’t start moving we won’t have any joints to look after in the future.

I hit exercise pretty hard and it was the best thing I ever did, along with meditation,  for my life and for my recovery.
Imagine getting back out in the world and moving freely again. It really is life’s greatest joy and you can experience that too.
Imagine getting back on your feet so you can get yourself a bicycle! if you could do that you could be free again and  go look at the pretty things of the world.

Throw off the cripple chains and negative beliefs.  Emerge from the prison we call a house and start engaging with other human beings in the world of the living.

Damn, I was in that place looking at those four walls for so long I felt like King Tut himself.

Top rebounding tips for anyone with joint pain.

Rebound fully clothed.

Rebounding with your hands in your pockets supports your shoulder joints. Bouncing this way stops the weight pulling down on your shoulders and stops painful hands moving too much. You do have to be careful because you won’t be able to hold onto the handrails or balance as good with your hands in your pockets, but it may be that you have to jump less vigorously just so you can manage the shoulder pain.

If we are in pain we shouldn’t just give in and accept the long agonising ride to disability?
We need to concentrate on defeating pain, not giving up when the going gets tough.  One way to control pain is to wrap the affected joints in a bandage or sports type support.

Wrapping your arms across the front of you in a sweater as you’re wearing it also works well. As does holding on to the lapels of your clothing, or gripping your clothing at the front to restrict floppy arm movements. Try anything you can to try and support the shoulder joints and keep moving.  It is worth the extra effort!

Shower before rebounding

The biggest secret to feeling good in a morning is sleeping in a good bed with nice clean sheets so you can be as comfortable as possible whilst getting your eight-plus hours of sleep.

Getting into the habit of jumping straight out of that deliciously comfortable bed and right into a good long hot shower is one of the best things you can do. I know it’s tough sometimes, but it’s always best to get up quickly and start moving.
Spending years in bed is a real shame for anyone. I started to examine how I felt lying there in a morning thinking about pain.

Then it hit me. You can’t get comfortable in bed when you’re in pain?
At some point I had to face the fact that getting up was better than lying there stiff as a board. These days I’m almost straight up and out, despite me living in the UK and having no central heating. It is seriously cold and I still manage to do it. Honestly, getting out that warm bed is a killer in winter, but it has to be done.

Once dry and dressed, I make my powerful anti oxidant chocolate and herb smoothie.

With that antioxidant powerhouse on board my energy levels start to soar.  The tunes go on and out comes the rebounder. Simples!

Rebound early in the morning.

Despite the great advice, you can still feel pretty rotten when getting on the rebounder in the morning. But at least the feeling is consistent.  Life is short so please don’t spend it stiffening up in bed. How much time do we have left to life in such suboptimal ways?

If we get up early and clear out the inflammation, we can make a decent day out the hours ahead and make a life we can be proud of.

Don’t be discouraged, it doesn’t take long to get moving when you change your lifestyle and detox your body.By the time you’ve jumped around and blown your brains out with your favourite tunes, you’ll be ready to face the day.

Experimenting with different routines and exercises is how I came to understand the importance of eating a raw cacao smoothie in the morning. Trying everything and seeing if it works is the only way we learn about our condition.
You need to become the worlds best expert on you and your condition.
The food experiments I carried out brought me to the joys of chocolate.

Bouncing on Chocolate

The amazing pain-relieving and mood-enhancing effects of chocolate are due to special happy chemicals that release pain-killing endorphins into our brains.

We all want to feel stimulated, well nourished, and energized in the morning, right?
Well, now you have the secret to that, enjoy it!

I always feel ready to go in a morning when I’m powered by chocolate and honey fuel.

As you know I love to eat raw egg yolks, so if I’m feeling less than my best I sometimes take a sneaky serrapeptase tablet to help digest the egg protein. I find that a good quality probiotic is a good call too and often take one of those along with the chocolate smoothie.

Taking enzymes with food isn’t something I generally advocate because it can lead to a reduction in our ability to naturally produce enzymes.

If you use this method already, use it sparingly and eat probiotics responsibly. Too much of a good thing turns into a bad thing in the end.

That said the extra protein gets straight into the body and helps with muscle and joint stabilisation. Win win win!

All this bouncing around also mixes the blend together inside your stomach and releases some beautiful rich feelings.
What an awesome way to get going in a morning

Thanks rebounding.

How did I get into rebounding.

I vividly remember my first rebounding session. The rebounder cost £5 from eBay.  Pete went to fetch it for me in his van.

Good old Pete. 🙂

Where would I be without him?

That first rebounding session was a pain, but I got through and managed 100 bounces.

Limping to such a small milestone felt like a pathetic victory, but it was progress.

Counting the jumping repetitions was easy, but I soon moved on to more strenuous timed sessions and forgot about the numbers.
The movements got more adventurous too. Usually, I’d start by swinging my hands up by my sides or punching my hands out in front of my body, boxer style.
Now I’m all over the thing like a crazy man.

Using a punching type of exercise is great if you can manage it. However, it can be tough on the shoulder as gravity pulls your arms down when you bounce. This can cause some pain in the shoulder joint so please be aware of that before trying it out. Your arms should never flap about uncontrolled when you’re rebounding, unless you’re really strong in the upper body. If your not you’ll likely get pain in your shoulders.

If this exercise causes me pain I usually stop because the forces involved don’t allow you to control where the damage could come from. That is a potential recipe for disaster so go easy.

If you start to get pain, pull your arms in a little, bending at the elbow is a good call.

Next big tip is pretty obvious……

Wear good training shoes

Good fitting Training shoes are without a doubt the best footwear for this activity. The uneven bending of the canvas and the way the springs sometimes pull at the outer edges of your feet can tilt the ankle bones inwards causing pain. wearing a good soft pair of good trainers allows you to make easy adjustments.

What if it hurts?

In those early days, I would use pain relief to help me get going. This is not ideal.

Judicious use of powerful pain killers is always advised, but I figured if I couldn’t get moving I had no chance of having a good day.
Eventually, I realised I was going to take the pain killer at some point during the day so why not with my exercise in the morning?

The movement was my only goal so loading up in the morning, and moving the inflammation through exercise, made sense to me.
Of course, I have to qualify that by reminding you to be careful on the rebounder and to avoid getting into bad habits with pain medication.

Cycling between topical applications like glucosamine gel, ibuprofen gel, or dandelion infused oil can help.  Best of all you can make dandelion oil for almost zero cost.

Dandelion works a treat for pain and stiffness, and as well as being free, its totally natural!
One big moment in my recovery was when I started using eggshell membrane to rebuild cartilage, it really was a quantum leap for my pain.

Judicious use of pain medications

Use all the pain fighting methods at your disposal and don’t get caught in the trap of using one substance over and over again.

Remember this is not just about covering up symptoms, our aim is to rebuild cartilage! If you work hard at your diet and exercise along with the other practices I set out in this site you will become pain free

Who would have thought I would suffer no pain in my deformed hands and joints? It seems crazy but it’s true.  I don’t have any pain in these joints and I don’t take pain killers.

I think I’ve used one packet of ibuprofen over the last six years, but there are other good ways of overcoming pain that work like taking DLPA and serrapeptase.

Apple cider vinegar tonics with curcumin, lemon, honey and ground black pepper seem to give me a beautiful pain free nights sleep and set me up for my rebounding exercises.

Try it, the effects are well documented and the number of people who flock to this “old wives tale” remedy is quite staggering.

Ranulph Fiennes claims apple cider vinegar helped him to climb mount Everest. Without it he says “he would have had no chance.” Now that’s a startling admission if I ever heard one.

Conclusion

Rebounding is good for the heart, soul and immune system. The exercise is a great way to get moving in a morning when we are notoriously bad at getting anything done.

I figured if I was going to make the most of my life I was going to have to reclaim my movement and my mornings!
Losing every morning for the rest of my life wasn’t an option. Reclaiming this part of your life is something worth fighting for so go all out.

Rebounding can help you take ownership of these areas of your life and lead you to more strenuous exercises that build muscle tone and support joints.

Do not miss out on the power of rebounding, it is amazing!