Dumb Question re Needak Rebounder

[Clary]

Okay guys, time for me to fess up!

Here's my problem - balance and being able to jump and actually raise my feet up....

Is there any hope for me with this rebounder and beginning at my age? Any and all comments welcome and very much appreciated Any words of wisdom to serve as a kick in the you know what to even do exercise will be appreciated!

Thanks everyone,

Pat

Hi Pat--Any Hope? Absolutely! In my opinion, a rebounder might be your perfect choice! You can do a websearch on the "stabilizing bar" that is an option for many rebounder models.

The truth is, one's feet DO NOT even have to leave the mat to get the main benefits of rebounding, but eventually rebounders (the people) are so energized that we want to "fly" on the mat, and get more and more creative.

When my grandmother was 79, she came to live with me and was a pathetic example of "medical" abuse--on about 14 drugs, and could not stand more than a few minutes unaided, mentally terribly confused, and her balance was so bad that sometimes when she started across the room she would go sideways or at an angle from the direction she tried to go, and would sometimes fall.

I was marketing rebounders at the time, and had a lot of "training" to market them, and even more "belief" in the benefits, so I created a long-term plan for her. I started her out sitting in a chair that she could hold on to the seat of the chair and brace herself against the back of the chair, and I placed her feet on the mat, and I did the gentle bouncing, and let it vibrate into her body. We increased the intensity of the bounce and the minutes, over time, as she remained sitting in the chair during the sessions. Sometimes we would have her sit on the edge of the rebounder with her bottom on the mat, her feet on the floor, and holding onto the frame of the rebounder for support, while I did the gentle bouncing--for a different effect on her body.

Little by little, as she got stronger, we moved from that process, to her standing on the mat supporting her body against my body, while she braced against the wall with her arms, and I did the movements (gently), and she absorbed the energy. (There were no stabilizer bars provided back in 1981--at least not one I knew about. If there had been, we would have used one for her.)

One day at a time we moved toward her being able to stand on the mat alone (still using the wall for support) and make the gentle movements of a soft bounce without her feet leaving the mat, or a very gentle up and down "walking" motion. Finally, we placed a high back stable wooden chair next to the rebounder, and she could balance with one hand holding onto the top of the chair back--and we called that "Grandma is really off-the-wall!" She loved it! --both the accomplishment and the attention.

There came a day when this previously frail, sick, now 80-year-old was able to do small bounces for up to 10 minutes. The first day she did so, we both cried. I cannot tell you the joy we both felt. I will always remember the beautiful, proud, grateful look in her eyes, and what a different person she had become. (Dr. McDougall calls it "restoring our health and appearance.")

She could by then also go up and down the porch steps alone, which she couldn't do when she moved in with us, and she could carry on meaningfull conversations

All during that time, I was also helping her move off her drugs; introducing fresh, wholesome foods ("Clary, we always peeled our potatoes for potato salad???"); and she even voluntarily went through the horrible agonizing process (for her) of quitting coffee entirely, after almost a 65 yr. habit. Some of her medical problems seemed to have been directly related to her heavy coffee consumption.

There is a lot more to this story, but I want you to know, that in my opinion and experience, a rebounder is hard to beat for what you are wanting to accomplish, at least it is way up high of the list of choices.

And for that "kick in the you know what to even do exercise will be appreciated!" that you mentioned, --owning a rebounder can help remove our "excuses" of bad weather, no time, inconvenience, not the right clothes...; or even the ones of "having a cold" or "feeling sick", because rebounding actually improves the movement of the lymph, and aids the the immune system, and can hasten healing and helping the body to restore health. --and even a 5 minute session of bouncing is effective.

Can you tell I am a fan of rebounding?

Best of luck to you. Let us know what you decide.

[Carol]

Nettie,

Not sure about instructions, as I'm at work and it's (hopefully) sitting on my front porch right now. But there's another thread on this topic and most have suggested starting out slow.....like around 5 minutes or so and gradually increasing the time. You can jog or do jumps and twists or just bounce. I used to love trampolines as a kid. And it sure will be much better on my 'old' joints. Just hope it's better on my back than walking!

wrt model, I purchased the soft-bounce foldable one, so I can take it with me on trips.

[Carol]

Nettie,

I should have looked at the web site before I replied. The Needak Rebounder comes with:
the book "Rebounding to Better Health";
a DVD "Immune System" with a rebounder demo;
and Dr. Walker's "Townsend Letter" magazine article reprint

[Nettie]

What website, Carol?

[Carol]

Nettie,

Here's the website:

http://www.needakrebounders.com/[/url]

[PattyC]

Hi Pat--Any Hope? Absolutely! In my opinion, a rebounder might be your perfect choice! You can do a websearch on the "stabilizing bar" that is an option for many rebounder models.

The truth is, one's feet DO NOT even have to leave the mat to get the main benefits of rebounding, but eventually rebounders (the people) are so energized that we want to "fly" on the mat, and get more and more creative. .

Clary, thank you so much for your reply and your story of your mom! I had no idea that rebounding without leaving the mat would even be effective. I thought you had to start out doing some kind of jump.

And for that "kick in the you know what to even do exercise will be appreciated!" that you mentioned, --owning a rebounder can help remove our "excuses" of bad weather, no time, inconvenience, not the right clothes...; or even the ones of "having a cold" or "feeling sick", because rebounding actually improves the movement of the lymph, and aids the the immune system, and can hasten healing and helping the body to restore health. --and even a 5 minute session of bouncing is effective.

Can you tell I am a fan of rebounding?

Best of luck to you. Let us know what you decide.

Now that I am semi-retired and home all day, my excuse in general has been that I just flat don't want to take the time to either exercise or change my shoes to do so - I'd rather quilt or even do bookwork or laundry or something else - anything but stop to do exercise and I so know better - I really do know that I need to do SOMETHING or I'll be back on BP pills and my previous diagnosis of Lupus may reappear even though Dr. McD doubts that I ever had it in the first place. Bottom line is I know I need to do it if I want to have the quality of life that I want..

One of the major things that attracted me to this rebounder was all of this board's testimonials and the claim to enhance the immune system. I bought a cheap one a year or so ago and I thought I was going to break my neck. It was extremely tight and had no support, etc. I finally gave it to the grandkids.

Anyway, I just ordered one and it's on its way. Any hints, tidbits, info you'd care to share for a beginner would be most appreciated.

Pat

[PattyC]

Thank you Evelyn and Carol for your responses. I've made the leap and ordered one with the bar. That was a great selling point for me and the "soft bounce" claim. Wish me luck!

Pat

[PattyC]

I have always rebounded bare-footed (over 25 yrs.) or sometimes socks, esp. if using someone else's rebounder, or when rebounding outside in cooler weather--but, then again, I walk for exercise, jog, and "wog" in everyday casual shoes, sometimes flip-flop types, or rubber-soled flexible "moccasins". I have great, strong feet with high arches, and go bare-footed any chance I get, and have since childhood--and I am 65 yo.

Clary - I think this was also part of my problem with the old one - I thought I had to have shoes on so I was trying to do this on a cheap rebounder with klunky tennis shoes (I have large feet). Talk about trip myself up . . . barefoot or socks it is for me - that's the way I'm going to learn this.

[libellule]

Patty C,
I would liked to add a few words. Really, take it slowly, rebounding. All you need is a slight shuffling motion, keeping feet enitrely on the rebounder at first to get the benefits. It works your lymphatic system right away, and it also aids your digestive system, everything. Aim for a consistent 5 mints everyday for a month, then add on a minute or so until you reach 12 mints. Then see how your body feels before you add one. The stabilizing bar will really help you, plus remember your feet can really remain in contact with the rebounder. Don't try to jump!! *L* Otherwise, you will call us all liars as per the comfort. It takes awhile for your feet to get comfie. BUt, it is well worth the wait. Rebounding is loads of fun.
Good luck,

Li

[Lin]

Pat,
It will be nice to have another rebounder in our midst!!
Rebounding is so fun. Just be sure to start out slow and easy. Beginners tend to overdo it because it really is fun and makes you feel like a kid jumping on the bed!!!
It's easy to get carried away and do too much at first.

Once you get your new Needak, I hope you'll post on "Who's Moving" and let us know how it goes.

[Carol]

OK everyone, my rebounder has arrived. I will plan to 'bounce' only 5 minutes tonight when I get home. For how long should I keep it to 5 minutes? And what happens if I go over 5 minutes???

I'm not in too bad shape right now, having just finished the winter Curling season (where you run 2 miles in a given match and sweep like there's no tomorrow!).

[PattyC]

Thank you so much for the support. The warmth and compassion and help from the people on this board is amazing. I'm feeling like maybe I can do this!

I'll keep you posted for sure once I get it and start my journey.

Pat

[Lin]

Yeaaaa Carol!

Did you get a book with your rebounder? Back a few yrs ago when I got my Needak, it came with a book called Rebounding to Better Health by Linda Brooks. If you got this, it will tell you what to do.
If not, there are lots of us here who can give you suggestions.

5 min. is good to start with. Since you're in good physical shape, you'll probably adjust to this quickly. There are 4 kinds of bounces. You start off by doing the health bounce. This is done by bouncing with your feet on the mat. The book recommends putting your feet about 12 in. apart and then you shrug your shoulders or slightly lift your heels off of the mat to get yourself bouncing. This will clean your lymphatic system.
It is recommended to do this easy health bounce for a couple of min. at the beginning and again at the end of your rebounding session. I always do this. Your feet never leave the mat during this bounce.

The 2nd bounce is the strength bounce. This is the bounce I use a lot. Your feet leave the mat. You're doing a jump. It doesn't have to be a big jump or a high one.

The 3rd bounce is the aerobic bounce. This is the really fun one!! You can get very creative. This includes doing things like jogging, sprinting, dancing, kicking, jumping jacks, and twisting (the washing machine!), etc.
I just love putting on my favorite music and jumping and dancing to the beat.

The 4th bounce is the sitting bounce and other optional bounces. This is mainly for those who can't stand well. Clary talked about this in one of her posts above. You can also use the sitting bounce to strengthen your abdominals.

You may want to just start out by doing the health bounce for 2 min., then do the strength bounce for a min. or 2 and then end up with the health bounce again.

The easiest way to tell when you can up your rebounding time is to notice how you feel the next day. If your muscles aren't sore at all, add a little more time. Just don't overdo it at first.

Have fun and happy bouncing!!!!

[EvelynJ]

I have a nice treadmill which I use occasionally,

If you get a Needak you will probably sell the treadmill. You won't go back to a treadmill. It didn't take me long to know that I'd never use again and it got a new home.

[Carol]

Lin, thanks so much! Yes, I did get the book. But when I get home from work today there will be a curtain lady there (making some curtains for us) and my step-daughter who is coming for dinner. I suspect I won't have a minute to myself to read the book and I so much wanted to get my first 5 minutes under my belt, if you know what I mean.

Can't wait!