If you haven’t seen one before, check out the video below.

We’ve been fans of the Rebounder. Specifically, the JumpSport Rebounder since it’s so quiet.

But there’s another way to get the benefits of stimulating the lymphatic system (the system that helps eliminate cell waste from the body), and that’s by using a Whole Body Vibrator.

What is a Whole Body Vibrator?

In a nutshell, a whole body vibrator vibrates your whole body as you stand on a vibrating plate.

The vibrating plate moves up and down at different angles aka multi-directional vibrations. The distance the vibrating plate moves isn’t very much all, but the movement is very fast.

Lifespan Fitness Whole Body Vibrator

How does a Whole Body Vibrator Help?

The benefits that a vibrator like the Lifespan pictured above is a complete exercise of the whole body. Whole body vibrators are kept in fitness centers as a way to help improve joint strength and joint range of motion, improved balance (better be after all that shaking) and of course muscle strength.

You get a lot of bang for your buck as the system helps to exercise a wide range of muscle groups and does so at incredibly fast speeds.

Here’s a video of how it works, and you can see that they’re not shaking like crazy. The vibrations are smooth although they can also be adjusted.

How much does a Whole Body Vibrator Cost and how can you get a Good Deal?

Whole Body Vibrators like the Power Plate
brand shown in the video above will set you back $5K to $8K. They’re not cheap, but if that’s that’s what you want, then go for it.

Alternatively, you can look into one of the best selling vibrators because of the reduced cost, the Lifespan, and you can read the reviews on Amazon here.

But is a Body Vibrator better than a Rebounder?

You’ll remember that a rebounder is a mini-trampoline of sorts that you jump on that stimulates the lymphatic system, helps strengthen muscles, balance, and is similar to the effects of a full body vibrator.

The comparison between a rebounder and a whole body vibrator comes down to two things:

• Results
• Preference
• Price

Results

A rebounder and whole body vibrator exercise in similar ways, except for the whole body vibrator works at a much faster speed. Although both are good exercises, the vibrator may give faster results in terms of the tone you’re looking for.

If you’ve been injured or have joint pain a vibrator may be easier for you initially.

However, a rebounder, which is what we enjoy, can really give a great workout.

Preference

Although it’s possible for a whole body vibrator to achieve faster results, it is a little…shall we say…goofy. Now there are great exercises you can do with the vibrator, but you have to determine what you will prefer and keep using.

The rebounder we use is quiet, and it’s portable. So as far as pull it out to enjoy a little television while exercising, the rebounder is great for that. We can also take it outside if we want, and it just feels like a good exercise that really helps to stimulate the lymphatic system.

Price

You’ll definitely find that the rebounders offer the better price option. Compare to thousands of dollars or even $700 you may pay for a body vibrator.

Making the Choice

So, weigh these elements based on what you think you would use the most and would give you the greatest benefit based on price, results, and enjoyable to your personal preferences.

You can check additional reviews of the Lifespan Vibrator on Amazon here for additional consideration.

But Joe isn’t looking for health solutions in America, he’s brought his own solution with him that he tests on the road for 60 days…a juicer…that’s it. All Joe consumes for sustenance is green juice.

We loved watching the show and when it showed his juicer, we were excited because it was the same brand that we have and enjoy a Breville.

Our juicer is the Breville Juice Fountain Elite (a bunch of Stainless Steel Power), but Joe’s Juicer was a little different looking although the same brand.

According to the Breville site, the juicer that Joe was using was a Breville Juice Fountain Plus.

Juice Fountain Plus on Amazon from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

The Juice Fountain Elite and the Juice Fountain Plus are both great juicers both with hundreds of reviews on Amazon. They’re both very popular models.

We’ve enjoyed our Juice Fountain Elite and it’s stainless steal parts, but the Juice Fountain Plus is also a great option especially for the cost savings since it’s less expensive.

You can see the Juice Fountain Plus and read the reviews for it on Amazon here.

There are many types of enzymes used throughout the body.

About Digestive Enzymes:

Digestive enzymes are enzymes that break down polymeric macromolecules into their smaller building blocks, in order to facilitate their absorption by the body.

Digestive enzymes are found in the digestive tracts of animals (including humans) and in the traps of carnivorous plants, where they aid in the digestion of food, as well as inside cells, especially in their lysosomes, where they function to maintain cellular survival.

Digestive enzymes are diverse and are found in the saliva secreted by the salivary glands, in the stomach secreted by cells lining the stomach, in the pancreatic juice secreted by pancreatic exocrine cells, and in the intestinal (small and large) secretions, or as part of the lining of the gastrointestinal tract.

Source Wikipedia: Digestive Enzymes

But at what temperature are enzymes destroyed (or denatured)?

Most enzymes can be denatured—that is, unfolded and inactivated—by heating or chemical denaturants, which disrupt the three-dimensional structure of the protein. Depending on the enzyme, denaturation may be reversible or irreversible.

Source Wikipedia: Enzyme

Lots of sites out there throw around the number 118 degrees Fahrenheit as the point where enzymes break down, but find the figure was a little more difficult. Human enzymes however begin to denature at about 40 degrees Celsius or 104 Fahrenheit (Wikipedia: Enzyme Assay). So starting around 104 to 118 Fahrenheit enzymes can start to unfold and cease to do their job.

Some say that the enzymes are destroyed anyway in the digestive process, but many of the digestive enzymes found in the human body can also be found in food. Still, there are plenty of health benefits from fruit and vegetable juices.

Do Breville Juicers Heat the Juice Destroying the Enzymes?

Let’s say you want those  enzymes from food intact (not destroyed), does a centrifugal juicer (like the Breville Juicers) destroy the enzymes?

Thanks to a study by the Australian Government National Measurements Institute, we can see that on average for the test fruits and vegetables that the temperature of rise caused by juicing is 1.2 degrees Fahrenheit.

The starting temperature for the vegetables and fruits was about room temperature or 73 degrees.

Raising 1.2 degrees doesn’t come anywhere close to 104 or 118.

Would have been helpful in our Search

The study would have been helpful when we were looking for a suitable juicer for our home. We decided to go with Breville’s Juice Fountain Elite.

Now, it’s great to have data to back up the idea that the centrifugal juices work so fast that they don’t heat up the juice enough to hurt enzymes.

If you’re looking for a juicer, you can check out our list of the Top 10 Juicers here.

and your reaction might be like most when seeing the picture…EEW!

We had seen the video listed in Netflix, but the title and the picture was not enticing to say the least.

But then, we happened to watch the trailer for the film, and we decided to watch the movie in it’s entirety.

It was an amazing movie.

If you can get past the title and the picture of Joe with the big belly going into the juicer (that doesn’t actually happen in the film–sorry to disappoint), you’ll discover an amazing journey that not only Joe embarked upon but also a trucker named Phil who is really the heart and soul of the documentary.

Quick Summary of Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead:

Joe Cross, an Australian, lead a life like most in Western society including stress and poor dietary habits. He also had an autoimmune disease that created skin rashes and for which he was taking a lot of pills.

He wanted to be healthy.

So he decided to come to America and go on a Juice Fast, drinking only green juice for 60 days, and to film the progress.

Please note that Joe did this under medical supervision throughout the process.

The results were amazing, and he travels from the East Coast to the West stopping and asking people to try the juice and get their thoughts on healthy eating.

Watch the Fat Sick and Nearly Dead Trailer:

Below is the trailer for the movie that got my wife and I excited about watching the film.

The movie was inspiring and we highly recommend it.

Hey that’s our Juicer! …Well, Same Brand at Least

We found it hilarious that Joe was using a juicer out of the back of his car with some sort of large battery pack generator to run power to the juicer.

Right off, we noticed that the juicer he was using was the same brand as the juicer we have a Breville (the Porsche of Juicers).

His model of juicer was a little different than the one we have. We went for the stainless steal model (see our review of the Breville 800jexl Juicer – the model we have) and love it.

How much should you Juice?

The Breville Juicer we use

That’s up to you, and your doctor if you decide to do a juice fast.

Although, you can start by getting a juicer (here’s the Top 10 Juicers) and making a juice a day as a great addition to your health.

We usually make a juice every day, and it’s great to get all those nutrients that would be hard to swallow (he, he) if you were to try to eat all those fruits and veggies that go into a juice.

To read more about the juicer we use (same brand as in the film) click here.

That’s why Gelato can be such a great treat.

We’re not talking about any old Gelato, we’re talking about Gelato that is homemade.

Why does homemade gelato taste better? Because it’s homemade that’s why!

Gelato is a…ahem…healthier alternative to ice cream.

It’s not made from cream like ice cream is (so it’s lower in fat).

Believe it or not, but Gelato often has less sugar than ice cream.

When you make your own Gelato, you get to choose the ingredients for the perfect mix.

Gelato also packs a more flavorful punch in every bite because unlike ice-cream, it’s not puffed up with a lot of air whipped into it.

Making Gelato at home

The great thing about making this tasty treat at home is that it’s easy to do, and it will impress your guests.

Gelato is a tasty treat that is unique, it gives your guests something to talk about and enjoy.

No more pulling out the tub of ice cream–no, no.

A few scoops (or more) of Gelato can have you appreciating some of the finer desserts in life, and since you can make it from your own home, it doesn’t break the bank every time you want one.

We fell in love with Gelato after the first few scoops.

If you want to make it from home, check out our review of the DeLonghi GM6000 Gelato maker.

It’s self-refrigerating so you don’t have to make it, then freeze it like you do with an ice cream maker.

All it takes is 30 minutes!

So for the holidays (or any special occasion) enjoy the treat that will impress your guests and be delicious to savor.

Photo: Gelato!!!!!! by Erick Gonzalez Licensed Under CC BY-ND 2.0

An app that can help you stay organized and eat more healthy?

There certainly is.

Facing some health challenges, that we’ve mentioned previously (rheumatoid arthritis), we decided that although still young, we needed to change and eat and live a healthy life.

A healthy life has helped us tremendously.

A Few things we’ve done to Improve our Health

Juicing the Pulp out of…well, the Pulp

Juicing certainly helps us have more energy and provides a lot of health benefits. You can read our review of the juicer we chose here.

We’ve found however that we end up juicing the same things over and over again, and need to remember to introduce a little variety into things.

Could there be an App to help with that?

Yep.

Rebounding & Exercise

We’ve found that using our rebounder has been very helpful in feeling good.

It’s quiet, helps activate the lymphatic system which helps carry away waste and toxins from your cells, and oddly enough, it’s very good for clearing the sinuses.

Is there an app for that? I’m sure there is, but it’s not the one we’re talking about today.

Introducing Variety into Your Diet – Finally, Here’s the App

So what is the App?

We’ve found a great app called Epicurious.

They’ve got more that 120 Thousand followers, and there’s good reason for it.

When we saw the simplicity of it, but that it could be so beneficial, we had to get it (there’s a free and paid version).

The app helps you find new recipes, but it’s the way that it does it that is the real benefit.

Epicurious lets you search recipes by ingredients, and/or by eating preferences (Vegan, vegetarian, etc.)

You can save your own recipes.

And when it’s time to go to the store, if you’ve identified what you want to make during the week, the app tells you how much to buy of the ingredients you’ll need.

We put the app on our iPad, but it can be installed on other devices as well.

It’s been really cool to explore new recipes. We love it.

It’s a great way to stay organized with recipes for your own meals or juices and gives great ideas for what you may like to try.

It’s not always as easy as it seems.

There’s the initial excitement that really gives your drive to be a healthy a great kick-start, but then something happens…something that stops a lot of people dead in the their tracks…and it’s called life.

Granted, life doesn’t stop you dead, but it can stop the actions towards a healthy life dead in their tracks.

We get busy, and soon that resolve and the desire that was so strong at the beginning starts to take a back seat to all the demands of day life.

It’s a conundrum.

How do you build a healthy life when life (the day-to-day) gets in the way?

Fortunately, there are tools that can help make keeping a healthy life easier (we’ve tried the gym membership, and it’s not one of those).

The tools are what you can have right at your finger tips.

They’re your weapons against an un-healthy lifestyle.

The more simple the tools, the easier that you can make use of them, and they’re the ones that after a lot of searching and testing that we use in our home on a regular basis.

Elegance Matters

Yesterday I was using my iPod Touch. Yes, it’s the first generation iPod Touch, and I’m still using it years later. Holding the device, it’s easy to see the quality of the metal backing, the elegant display, and how it fits perfectly in your hands.

Now I’ve had other music players that could play music just as well, but I don’t think I could find them if I went looking. They’re gone. Buried somewhere in some box or even given away.

Why do I still use the old  iPod.

It’s elegant.

It’s still relevant.

And even today, it still works great.

And using an elegant and relevant device helps me make that elegance a part of my life.

The same thing that keeps me using a first generation iPod, is what can help you stay on track to a healthy lifestyle.

The tools we use make a difference, and the better, more solid and more elegant the tool, the more we’ll use it over and over again.

It’s a War to Achieving Great Health – Choose your Weapons Wisely

Real war is grusome and terrible with lives litterally on the line.

A personal war against disease and desire for greater health is still a war with high stakes, your life, but the difference is that you’re working to build instead of break down, and the “weapons” at your disposal instead of being terrible can be beautiful and helpful.

The better and more elegant the options (just like the iPod) the more likely that you’ll use them over and over again.

The Juicer

We make vegetable juices on a regular basis (almost daily, and sometimes twice a day).

What’s helped us stay on track is a desire to be healthy, but also the tool that we have.

Juicing can provide the essential nutrients and enzymes that your body is starving for.

Too many processed foods destroy the delicate and beneficial components that your body needs to thrive and be healthy.

Juicing vegetables can unlock those nutrients in a very powerful way.

The Juicer we use is the Breville 800jexl Juice Fountain. It’s the most elegant juicer out there and super powerful making juicing something that’s fun and not a chore.

You can catch our in-depth review of the Breville 800jexl here.

Good health never tasted so good. If you mix in a fruit (apple or some grapes), you can make your juices very tasty.

The Bouncer

Healthy nutrients are an important part of becoming healthy, but there is an important element that most people miss entirely.

It’s the “E” word, and it’s despised by so many: Exercise.

Yuck, who likes exercise.

Hint: your body does.

Every cell in your body can benefit from exerciser, and that’s one of the reasons that we purchased a rebounder.

A rebounder puts the force of gravity to work and in favor of your health.

The gentle downward pressure benefits your whole body. The upward motion and the peak of the bounce is like achieving weightlessness as you come back down.

It exercises your whole body, in fact, each cell of your body. Rebounding can also help stimulate the lymphatic system which helps to keep your body and cells clean from cellular waste build up.

We researched for a very long time, and wanted to get a rebounder that we’d use over an over and that would be easy on the body (not jarring).

The JumpSport became our rebounder of choice, and we’re still using it because (like the iPod) it’s elegant, works great as ever, and is well made. You can get it with a handlebar too for support.

You can read our Rebounder JumpSport review here.

The Blender

One of our newest tools is the BlendTec Blender. You know, the Blender that can blend anything even iPods (I’m keeping my iPod away from it for sure).

The benefit we found in the blender is that we can make yummy smoothies, soups, and even desserts.

It’s another weapon for good health that is easy to use.

We like the blender because it helps unlock nutrients in what is blended but also keep important elements such as the fiber from fruits and veggies. So you can use is in-conjunction with juicing.

Here’s a detailed review of the BlendTec Total Blender.

Choose your Weapon

So choose your weapon, your tool, or use them all to help you achieve great health through healthy habits, and it’s the tools that can make that become so much easier.

So click on the tool above that most meets your needs or catches your eye and check out how the tool (or tools if you check out more than one) can help you.

For Christmas, our family got one of the Total Blenders from Blendtec. We love it. We also think the videos on YouTube about them are pretty funny…if not a little weird.

Here’s one of our favorites…Blending Glow Sticks:

Here’s another…Blending a Rake:

And oh the humanity! How could they blend an iPad!

They must be Android fans over there…which isn’t a bad thing.

Android fans or not, it makes me cring to watch an iPad getting mashed. “Nooooo” is right.

Aside from the Rakes, glosticks, iPhones, and all the other stuff they’ve tested, the Blendtec Blenders actually do blend food and they to a smash up job at it as well.

We’ve made soup and ice cream in ours (although not at the same time)>

We’ve loved our Blendtec and you will too (well, your own at least…).

Check out our Blentec Total Blender Total Review here to get all the “Juicy” details.

Blendtec Total Blender - We have one and love it!

You’ve seen the videos, heard the rumors…iPods being blended into a soft powdery dust…a rake being chopped down to nothing…How about a glow stick, a remote control car, or the latest–an ipad.

The Blendtec Total Blender is a YouTube craze!  Interesting. . . But how does it work blending foods?

The TotalBlender blends more than iPhones and Glow Sticks

Finally, at a local store, I saw a demonstration using real foods–actually whole foods (stems, seeds, hulls and all)–to make delicious and healthy smoothies, sauces, and hot soups using only raw ingredients.

What I sampled was smooth and even textured (without the enormous ice chips and fruit chunks that my current blender left).

It was something I would want to drink every day.  And the soup?  It still amazes me that you can put raw vegetables into a blender, turn it on soup mode, and pour out warm soup in less than a couple of minutes.

I was sold.

We got the Blendtec Total Blender Basic, and I love it!

Since I had such a hard time finding reviews on blending actual food, I thought I’d give you the information.

Now that I’ve used it to make smoothies, juices, pancakes, ice cream, and dips–

The Basics about the Total Blender Basic:

I love it!  Its powerful, fast, and blends evenly.

The Blendtec is also very versatile.

Although my standard is smoothies, I’ve also used the Blendtec to grind grains, then make pancake batter out of the flour.

No problem.

I put chunks of vegetables in there to make creamy soups.

Unbelievable.  It was warm!  And super smooth!

We’ve made:

• Ice cream
• Hummus
• Pesto
• Fresh juice from whole fruits and vegetables
• Butternut Squash Soup
• Lots and lots of smoothies (where I hide all kinds of greens and seeds–my kids can’t tell they’re there).

After using the Blendtec regularly for several months now, I get frustrated when I’m traveling and use other blenders that just don’t cut it.

Does the Blendtec Total Blender really work better than my old blender?  Yes!  And you’ll notice the difference, too, from the first smoothie you make.

Experience = Lessons Learned

Blendtec Total Blender Tips

Here are a few tips that should save you some time with your new Blendtec:

Order is Important

I was so excited to use the Blendtec Total Blender  for the first time, but luckily I glanced through the recipe book first because I learned a few things:

• Soft ingredients go on the bottom
• Ice goes in last
• Repeat a blending cycle if you want it smoother

Like any new thing, there is a bit of a learning curve.

Smoothies Should be…Smooth 

My issue:  some of the smoothies got stuck with air pockets.

We’d use ice and frozen fruits during the winter and it would seem to jam (it really wasn’t jamming, but air pockets stopped the upper contents from being sucked down into the juicer).

Solutions learned:

• Make sure you have enough liquid
• Try a different setting.  For example, if you’re making a smoothie with lots of frozen fruit, go for the “Ice Crush” setting rather than “Smoothie.”

The air pocket is the only real issue I’ve had, so I’m glad I could figure out how to make it work great!

What Makes the Blendtec Total Blender Different?

From the square-shaped jar to the single-prong wingtip blade, the Smart-Touch Tecnology to the pre-set blending options, and power, power, power. . .

The Blendtec is designed to out-shine, and here’s what it all means. . .

What is Smart-Touch Tec-nology?

The Blendtec Total Blender is equipped with Smart-Touch Tec-nology, which means that the blender automatically speeds up and slows down to draw ingredients down to the blade.

It adds more power and friction just when you need it, then automatically shuts off.

Each cycle is timed, so you simply push the button and let the Blendtec do its thing while you watch the seconds count down on the digital timer.

What are the Preprogrammed Blend Cycles?

The Blendtec Total Blender has 6 Preprogrammed blending cycles in addition to the general speed and pulse buttons.

There’s no guess work here.

With the pre-set options, what you want is what you get.

•  Ice Cream / Frozen Yogurt
• Ice Crush / Milkshake
• Soups / Syrups / Fondues
• Sauces / Dips /Dressings / Batters
• Whole Juice
• Smoothie
• Pulse
• Speed Up
• Speed Down

Also, don’t be afraid to try different settings.  For example, if you’re making a smoothie with lots of frozen fruit, try the “Ice Crush” setting rather than “Smoothie.”

How Much Power are we Talking in this Blender?

The Blendtec Total Blender has so much power that it comes with an Ice-Crushing Guarantee to turn ice to snow.

I haven’t tried this yet, but snow cones are starting to sound pretty good!

Blender Specs:

• 1560 Watts
• 13 Amps
• 3 Horse Power direct-drive motor

. . . All this makes the blade spin at up to 29,000 rpm–this is where the Ice-Crushing Guarantee comes in.

What’s Different About the Blade…Why isn’t is Sharp?

The Blendtec Total Blender has a patented single-prong wingtip blade made of stainless-steel.

The blade is flat and turns up on the ends, and–this surprised me–its not even sharp!

It doesn’t have to be at the speeds that it runs.

You won’t cut yourself on this blade.

It’s an amazing design that the power and square shape of the blender work so well with a sturdy yet blunt blade.

The blade creates a better vortex than the average blender, micronizing whole ingredients and providing smooth, even-textured blending.

What about the Jar Container?

Capacity:  8 cups, 64 ounces, or nearly 2 quarts
Dimensions:  7x7x9.5”
Actual weight:  1.5 lbs.

The jar itself is also shorter and half the weight of typical blender jars that hold the same volume.

It has easy-to-read markings in both ounces and quarter-cup increments.  And I’ve measured–they’re accurate!

You’ll notice the Blendtec Jar has a unique square shape.

This design basically helps to blend whole foods better.

To be more detailed, the square shape works with the wingtip blade to create a better vortex (think of the cyclone down the middle when you’re blending), micronizing fruits and vegetables to make their nutrients more bio-available to the body.

The polycarbonate jar is BPA-free and made of durable copolyester.

This means the plastic is safe to use with food, and the jar is strong and sturdy enough to handle heavy daily use.

I was relieved to find its made from heavy-duty plastic because my old blender had a glass jar that broke when it went from cold to hot too quickly.

The strength and durability of the jar are exceptional.

If you blend in large batches, you may consider getting the WildSide Jar.

It’s compatible with the Total Blender and holds a high capacity of 3 quarts.

The WildSide Jar is available both on Amazon.com and Blendtec.com.

To Top it off…The Lid

The Total Blender Jar is topped with a vented gripper lid.

It fits perfectly, allowing no spillage.

The vent lets the jar breathe–This is especially important when blending hot liquids or making hot soup.

The mid section of the lid is removable, allowing you to add ingredients through the center opening without removing the lid.

How about Clean-up?

Clean-up is a breeze.

Simply put a bit of water in the blender jar, add a squirt of dish soap, and pulse a few times.

Rinse and let it dry. (The ease of clean-up is my husbands favorite feature)!

It Comes With a Recipe Book!

I mean a real recipe book–spiral bound with pictures and lots of detailed recipes.

Glance through it when you get it.

Not only does it inform you of the Blendtec possibilities, it also has some helpful advice for getting the best results out of your Total Blender.

What’s the Size of the the Total Blender?

Dimensions: 7” wide x 15” tall x 8” deep
Actual weight:  7 lbs

What’s great is that it’s sturdy enough for the job but not so heavy that it’s hard to move.

What are Others Saying?

The Blendtec Total Blender has an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 215 customer reviews on Amazon.

Here’s just a sampling:

• “I have been extremely happy with the results of my morning smoothie, as well as several cream soups, chopped veggies, and a yogurt from the recipe book which is sent with the blender. . .”
• “Happy to say that after a couple of years of almost daily use, my Blendtec is still going strong!! “

Does it Have a Warranty?

The Blendtec Total Blender has a:

• 3-year motor-base warranty
• 1-year jar warranty
• Lifetime coupling-and-blade warranty

Where Can You Get the Best Price?

Purchase and learn more about the Blendtec Total Blender and any accessories directly from the Blendtec main website.

You can also read the reviews here on Amazon.com.

Oh, not one of us. It wasn’t a person that was dead. It was…our gym membership.

We signed up for a gym membership a while back. We paid for a full year…and barely went. We’re pretty health conscious individuals (at least we think so), and wanted to exercise more, but the business of life soon took priority over trips to the gym.

So when it came time to renew our membership, we were looking for something else…

One reason we didn’t use the gym membership as much is because we thought my wife’s Rheumatoid Arthritis would be a little better.

After deciding that the gym membership wasn’t right for us, we were looking for an exercise that would be easy on the joints, but still provide a lot of benefit to the whole body.

Efficiency – How to get 5 Work outs in One

Busy as most of us are…I wanted something that would exercise the whole body rather than something that would require multiple workouts isolating different parts of the body.

We started to turn our focus to a workout machine that we could use at home, but that would provide the most bang for our buck.

Rebounders started to catch our eye. We did some research and found that Rebounding was a great way to exercise just about every cell in your body as the pressure of gravity is applied to the whole body (all the cells) on the down-bounce, and released to near weightlessness (at the pinnacle of the up-bounce).

We heard that NASA used rebounding for the astronauts because it was one of the most efficient exercises out there.

Convenience – Work out at Home

An important factor we were looking for was a device we could use at home, easily store, yet be able to bring out and use in just a couple minutes.

The rebounder was looking good here too. The elliptical machines were just too Huge, and other workout machines didn’t seem to work the entire body as well.

We felt that if we had it at home rather than at the gym, we’d be more likely to use it, and save the time, energy, and fuel it took to get to the gym.

Multi-tasking – Watching TV or listening to Podcasts while Exercising

There are lots of types of rebounders, and we researched a lot…a whole lot on the type we wanted. There were some that were more than $800, and there were some that were $50. We quickly learned that a big selling point for us was the noise…or lack thereof in just two different brands that we found.

The rebounders with springs were noisy. If we wanted to watch TV, listen to a podcast, or exercise while the kids slept, the metal spring based rebounders made annoying noises.

The bungee corded rebounders were essentially silent compared to the harsh sounds coming from the metal spring rebounders.

Quality – Reducing the Risk of Injury

Injury was something that we definitely didn’t want from our rebounder. We heard horror stories of people using the cheap $50 rebounders and injuring themselves.

The bungee rebounders, which were more expensive but looked softer on the joints appealed more to us than the metal spring rebounders, although there were plenty of high-quality metal spring rebounders.

The bungee based rebounders would make it easy to walk or jog in place while watching TV and provided a soft enough bounce without pronating (turning the joints inward when bouncing).

We could also adjust the tightness/strength of the cords in one model we were looking at: the JumpSport.

Can we Stick to it?

I’ll answer this question at the end. But starting out, we wanted something that we’d keep using over and over so it didn’t find a place next to our gym membership.

Our Choices…

We narrowed our search down to two models, the Cellerciser and the JumpSport Mini-Trampoline.

The Cellerciser had metallic springs, and the JumpSport had bungee cords. We weren’t 100% sure which one we wanted, but after reading a lot of reviews on Amazon, we decided to go with the JumpSport.

For reference, I’ve included a couple videos about the Cellerciser and the JumpSport if you’re curious about how they sound and look.

Video Review of the JumpSport

YouTube user roundlady shows us the JumpSport. She has many different rebounders and has picked the JumpSport as one of her favorites. She has lymphatic cancer and enjoys rebounding as a great form of exercise, and we’ve learned that rebounding helps clean out waste through the lymphatic system.

Did we Get a Rebounder? What about Continued use?

Yes, we got a rebounder, and we’re happy to report that we use it every week, multiple times per week.

I use it almost every day, and my wife uses often. We found out she was pregnant just after we got it, so she doesn’t jump on the rebounder, but she’ll put on a movie and just walk in place. It’s been very helpful during the winter months.

Can Rebounding Make You Feel Better?

Can it make you feel better? Well, that’s up to you, but I’ll jot down how it’s made us feel better.

Lymphatic Massage & Sinuses:

A rebounder is supposed to help the lymphatic system flow. The lymphatic system in your body is similar to your blood vessels. It’s all throughout your body and it collects cell waste that needs to be disposed of.

There’s just one problem. Your blood vessels (the circulatory system), has a pump to keep things moving. The lymphatic system has no pump. Fluid moves through the system when you move. Since we live ever increasing sedentary lifestyles, this is a problem.

Rebounding however helps the lymphatic system to flow and get waste out.

It’s hard for me to test the lymphatic system to see how well rebounding works, so I’ll have to take the word of the experts, but we read in multiple sources about the benefits of rebounding and the lymphatic system.

In our use however, we’ve noticed something interesting. If I have a little bit of sinus congestion, jumping on the rebounder helps clear it up! It moves it out of the sinus cavity so I can breathe more easily. I think it’s helped keep a couple colds I was exposed to and felt coming on at bay.

In the winter months, I’ve usually felt congested, and if I had a cold, it seemed like weeks and weeks before it was gone, but not this winter. I could feel the effects of the cold begin to take place, but with rebounding and much healthier eating than I’ve had in the past, I’ve felt great in the winter!

Safety Precautions:

Of course with any workout or exercise routine, you need to make sure conditions are safe, consult your doctor, use common sense.

Good Workout:

Rebounding has provided a good workout, and when I have a good workout, I feel good.

You can put as much or as little into the workout as you like. The more the better, but some have suggested to take it slow and easy to begin with, and I agree. You need to get used to it.

I feel that my energy levels are better after having rebounded for a while, got the blood pumping, and movement in the body.

Where to Find the Best Rebounders

Our choice came down to two rebounders. Ultimately, we got the JumpSport, and have loved it, but if you’re wondering about the other model that came in at a close second, it was the Cellerciser.

The Cellerciser:

You can get the Cellerciser at Amazon here. On Amazon, you’ll be able to see the reviews for the various rebounders which helped us out a lot in our decision.

The JumpSport

You can find the JumpSport 350 on Amazon The JumpSport was less expensive than a lot of the crazy expensive rebounders, but we decided to add an extra (the support bar) which attaches to the rebounder for extra support. It’s optional, and we haven’t used the support bar very much, but we’ve got it for when we need it.

JumpSport Rebounder Reviews on Amazon