Wow!  I really enjoy and appreciate the informative emails and inspiring testimonials you have been sending to your list. 

Here is my experience and take on rebounding.  My name is Randy.  I am 59 years old and trying my best to maintain my health & vitality through a reasonable diet, targeted supplements, and having fun on my quarterfold Rebound-Air Rebounder for approximately an hour each day.  I’ve been rebounding for 5 years, but just purchased the best rebounder on the market from you in April 2008.  My time on it, in many respects, is the highlight of my day.  I only rebound to music through over-the-ears headphones that I program myself. For me, it is the ultimate way to exercise.  I love music and rebounding equally, so by optimally combining the two, it makes them both more important and enjoyable to me.  More on that later.

I’ve had a lot of health issues in my day, but I think the worst ones have been the surgeries after age 40:  2 left knee surgeries and two major back surgeries. The last back surgery in 2006 was a major reconstruction of L-4 and 5 with pins, screws and hinges.  That was one way to straighten me out I guess. The point is:  A person can have a lot wrong with them and still rehabilitate almost any health challenge.  They can also get in reasonably good shape and have fun doing it.  At this point, ‘having fun’ with an exercise program ranks very high on the list with me.  Of course, the benefits are really what keep me going throughout each day.  You recently sent an email explaining how ’sore you feel when you wake up in the morning’. Amen to that!  Extreme full body soreness wakes me up too; every single morning.  My back, hips, legs, right elbow, etc., etc. are always weak and sore to begin with. Arthritis is seemingly everywhere. Not to mention feeling the hardware in my back.  I DRAG myself out of bed, have cup of brew, eat a banana, take specialized supplements, and then make my way to my beloved rebounder without delay. If I didn’t, I don’t think I would be motivated to do much of anything at all and entire days would simply go to waste.  Because of rebounding, I can move more freely after a session and also feel more ‘with it’ and coordinated throughout most of the day. No bounce, no well being. I never miss a day.  I’ll even do 15 minutes or so in the evening if I need a ‘pick me up’ or if I feel stressed out by watching the nightly news line ups.

After my last surgery, one of the ways I used to rehab was to walk a couple of miles a day to the beat of music I programmed myself.  Yes, music sends a strong signal from the brain to the feet that is uniquely pleasant and enables one to walk a longer distance, but the fun is largely limited to the syncopated movement of the feet and therefore, is fairly easy to give up on after awhile. This is not the case with rebounding for me.  Why?  Because through music, the body in it’s entirety is motivated to participate in various syncopated movements.  Some of the things I do on my rebounder are: ‘Float like a Butterfly & Sting like a Bee’ double and triple time boxing, as in hitting a speed bag, playing air guitar, bass, drums or bongos, etc. Sometimes I envision myself rowing a boat across a pristine lake or riding a galloping horse across a meadow or simply singing along, dancing, twisting and doing jumping jacks and other calistinics. If family members are around, they’ll watch & grin for awhile and then simply ignore you. (grin)  Creating an environment with interesting visuals is helpful as well.  Some time during every song I lift my arms completely over my head for an extended period and stretch and push up on every beat.  Yoga type stretches to the beat feel extra great while rebounding.  I do whatever I feel like doing depending on my attitude, my sense of well being and whatever the music is motivating me to do.  Sessions are 45 minutes to an hour.

I can not do any of this by watching TV, or listening to music through speakers, or jumping to just any typical ’thump thump’ style exercise music program.  For one thing, I don’t want to hear the squish of the mat or the squeak of the springs as I’m bouncing along.  As for the music, it’s important that I REALLY LIKE the music and it has to be played straight in to my head through over-the-ear headphones …powerfully and clearly enough to intensely feel everything about the song. Seinhauser headphones are great. My motto is:  “Life is to short to ever listen to, or exercise to, a lousy, boring song from beginning to end.” I never do now.  Every song I record is a song that will play well for me over and over again; probably forever.  Over the past 5 years, I have approximately 40 hours of recorded and customized rebounding/walking music.  I figure there’s another 100 hours or so of great music (that I will like) on airwaves around the world just waiting for me to find it. 

Here is what I do:  I record 5 hours at a time on a portable satellite radio receiver and do this 3 or 4 times a week.  While I sleep, the radio records.  The other 3 days I exercise to previous recordings.  It takes approximately 15 minutes to preview 5 hrs worth of music on XM Radio. (Sirius radio probably has a better selection of music and more stations)  In any event, almost all styles of music have at least some songs that are fantastic to jump to; categories such as: 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, Contemporary Country, Pop, smooth jazz, smooth electronica, contemporary Latin music, old standards, easy listening, soul, contemporary Christian, R&B, Classic Rock, disco and dance, etc. While on my rebounder, I quickly click through each recording until I stumble on to a tune that catches my attention and also has a good tempo for rebounding. There is so much music in the world that I can really only know what’s good (to me) when I hear it.   Before I record a song for keeps however, I usually bounce to it twice so I don’t have to do any editing later.

When thoughts of an economic meltdown and impending Socialism get me down, I might put on a line up like this:

Oldie:  Moonlight Feels Right   Starbuck

R & B :  Isn’t She Lovely   Stevie Wonder

Pop:  No promises   Ice House

R & B:  Treat her like a lady   The Temptations

R & B:  Make it with you   The Whispers

Pop:  The Ability to Swing   Thomas Dolby

Pop:  Glamour Profession     Steely Dan

Pop:  H-Gang  Steely Dan

Smooth Jazz:  Ocean Way Torcuato Mariano

Disco: (I want to)  Rock with you    Michael Jackson

Pop:  Crusin’ for Brusin’  Basia

Country:  How about those cowgirls  George Strait

And the list goes on forever. Since there are no satellite walk/rebounding format radio stations that I am aware of, one will either have to find music as I do or check out lists that others have compiled.  There is some great info here: http://walking.about.com/od/music/a/musicmix.htm

Al, because of the quality of your rebounder, my level of commitment to rebounding and the joy I get from it has increased dramatically.   Thanks for the great work you are doing.  Virtually anyone who takes you seriously can be helped and will greatly enhance their sense of wellbeing at the same time!!

Sincerely,

Randy