Out...of...breath...

Rebounding is supposed to be a great exercise for breast cancer survivors, especially since it helps stimulate the lymphatic system. That's one reason I bought my rebounder in the first place...I suffer from Lymphedema. Lymphedema occurs when the normal lymphatic flow is disrupted and lymphatic fluid accumulates in the body. It's uncomfortable and, at times, can be quite painful. So, to help my body reabsorb the lymphatic fluid that collects in my upper arms, I jump. My rebounder is not only fun, it's a medical necessity. 

If you've never jumped on a rebounder, it's quite an experience, even my youngest granddaughter, Heather, loves it! Let me tell you about it. My rebounder is not the typical rebounder. Mine has bungee cords holding the rebounding trampoline on to the frame. Most rebounders have metal springs. I chose the kind with the bungee cords because it was quieter and provided a safer jump experience. Maintenance is low and the bungee cords don't have to be replaced but every 3 years. 

In preparation for rebounding, comfortable clothes is a must. You're going to be jumping and bouncing and you don't want to be wearing anything restrictive. I usually wear a tshirt and sweats. You can jump barefoot, in sock feet, or in tennis shoes. I usually jump barefoot or in tennis shoes. I've found that socks are too slippery and slippery socks and an uncoordinated jumper don't make for a good mix! Shoes help people with weak ankles and provide more stability. When you've decided how you want to jump (barefoot, socks, or with shoes) it's time to climb up onto the trampoline. The rebounder is only about 14 inches off the ground but even that height can prove you unstable if you don't have good balance. 

The best way to get going is just to start gently bouncing so you can get the feel of things. I always try to stay right in the center of the trampoline because I'm afraid if I get too close to the edge, I'll get my feet tangled in the bungees and fall....I'm a klutz, just so you know (and I'm not kidding here). After you've bounced gently and slowly, you can start to increase your height and speed. I've found the higher I go, the less stable I am. You can twist from side to side as you jump up and down, you can do jumping jacks, you can alternate feet...there's a lot you can do. Just the up and down motion stimulates the lymphatic system and disburses the lymphatic fluid. (There are many rebounding routines out there on the internet if you need one.)

Since I tend to get a little wobbly and off balance, I've found that it helps me to use a stablizing bar. You can purchase one specifically for your rebounder but I've found I can scoot the rebounder close to my treadmill and hold onto one of the treadmill bars while I jump. Holding on to the bar affords me some much needed stability and gives me more confidence as I jump higher and higher. 

Today, as I was jumping, I started to form my own little jumping routine. First I marched in place to give my heart rate time to increase gradually. Next, I started to jump up and down gently and then began jumping from side to side. After doing that for a little bit, I started to twist side to side as I jumped. I was having fun! I decided to ramp it up a notch and started bouncing harder and faster. Within just a few minutes I had to stop! My heart was beating really fast and I could hardly breathe. I wondered why I was having trouble breathing...I hadn't ever had difficulty breathing when exercising before and then, I remembered. 

When I had my PET scan, to look for the spread of cancer in my body, the radiologist noted I'd had damage to my right anterior lobe of my lung from the radiation treatments. I guess that's why I was getting out of breath easily, so I slowed it down a bit and felt better. As I continued jumping, I had to laugh. Here I was jumping on my rebounder while holding onto the treadmill handrails. I got a mental image of myself being really energetic and doing a big jump from the rebounder right onto the treadmill and immediately beginning a rapid jog. Before my mind could return me from the treadmill back to the rebounder, I took a deep breath and hopped off. I'd better not push it. One and a half lung isn't the greatest for rebounding but it surely would be stressed to the max if I included jogging on the treadmill too. I'd hate to have had to call 911 and tried to explain what I was doing and how I'd gotten so out of breath. I don't think they would have believed me. 

Rebounding is a fun, low impact exercise and I highly recommend it. Just be careful and check with your doctor first. 

© bonnie annis all rights reserved

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Can you tell I'm excited? I can hardly wait! I ordered my Bellicon Rebounder yesterday and now, I'm just waiting for it's arrival so I can get started rebounding. Since reading about the benefits to the Lymphatic system, I've been looking forward to not only jumping around to help my body, but I'm thinking I'm going to have a lot of fun while doing it, too! I feel like a little kid!

I always wanted a trampoline when I was younger but we never had the money for such frivolities. Not many of my friends had trampolines either. They weren't really that popular in the late 50's and early 60's.

The first time I ever saw a real trampoline was at the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey circus. We watched the trapeze artists walk the high wire above a huge trampoline. It was a time of gasps and nail biting as they performed their aerial antics. We were so afraid they'd fall and sometimes they did, but the trampoline was the safety net. It always looked so fun when they'd fall to the trampoline and bounce up high in the air a few times before slowing to a stop and landing.

Today I received an email from the rebounding company. They included a short video explaining the benefits of rebounding. I'm including it here for you to see (in case any of you might want to purchase your own rebounder in the future). The benefits of rebounding on a Bellicon rebounder .

I did a lot of research before deciding to purchase the Bellicon rebounder. There are many rebounders out there and I wanted to make sure to get a sturdy, well built one. After studying about all the various choices, I narrowed my selection down to two rebounders. The first was a Needak rebounder. Needak® rebounders are well made and they've been manufactured since 1990. The only thing that concerned me about their rebounders was the noise. They are made with stainless steel springs, like most other rebounders. The Bellicon uses a patented bungee system that provides an almost silent rebound and I liked that a lot. Both companies offer folding legs or stationary legs. I chose the stationary legs for mine because I won't be needing to fold it up and store it away often, but for people who'd like to slide it under a bed, the folding legs would be optimal. Both springs and bungee cords will eventually wear out and need to be replaced. With the Bellicon, the replacement bungee cords only need to be replaced every 3-4 years and are easily replaced by the owner in the comfort of his/her home. Bellicon rebounders are made in Germany and assembled here in the USA. That made a big difference to me too! I didn't want to buy a product that was made in China with substandard materials.

To use the rebounder for maximum health benefits, I googled rebounding exercise videos. I was surprised to find how many exercises can be done on the rebounder. I was also amazed to see how many body parts work in conjuction during rebounding. I really liked the low impact aspect of rebounding and thought it would be a great addition to my cardiovascular workout.

Hopefully my new Bellicon rebounder will be here this week! Stay tuned and I'll let you know when it arrives and how my first jumping session goes. I can't help thinking I need to find the song, "Stop in the name of love," on Pandora. It only seems fitting for a Southern Bell to have that playing during the first rebounding session...Kathy Bates, in the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, did it and it was just perfect. I just can't get that image out of my mind as I think about rebounding!

©bonnie annis all rights reserved

Jump for joy!

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I struggle daily with swelling in my upper arms. It drives me nuts! Within just a few minutes of waking, my arms are already getting fat, and I have a condition called Lymphedema to thank for it. It not only causes discomfort, it also causes me to have to buy shirts two sizes larger than I normally wear just so I can get my arms in the sleeves! So, you can imagine my frustration and my desire to find any and everything that will help decrease the effects of Lymphedema on my body.

Today, as I was researching, I found an interesting study by By Dave Scrivens, Certified Lymphologist, that was published in the Well Being Journal Vol. 17, No. 3. In his article, Mr. Scrivens says, "The body has a built-in need for activation. The lymph system, for example, bathes every cell, carrying nutrients to the cell and waste products away. Yet the lymph is totally dependent on physical exercise to move. Without adequate movement, the cells are left stewing in their own waste products and starving for nutrients, a situation that contributes to arthritis, cancer and other degenerative diseases. Vigorous exercise such as rebounding [jumping on a therapeutic mini-trampoline] is reported to increase lymph flow by 15 to 30 times. Also, bones become stronger with exercise. Vertical motion workouts such as rebounding are much different and much more beneficial and efficient than horizontal motion workouts, such as jogging or running. The lymph fluid moves through channels called “vessels” that are filled with one-way valves, so it always moves in the same direction. The main lymph vessels run up the legs, up the arms and up the torso. This is why the vertical up-and-down movement of rebounding is so effective to pump the lymph."

Dr. Scrivens also says: The lymphatic system is the metabolic garbage can of the body. It rids you of toxins such as dead and cancerous cells, nitrogenous wastes, infectious viruses, heavy metals, and other assorted junk cast off by the cells. The movement performed in rebounding provides the stimulus for a free-flowing system that drains away these potential poisons.

Unlike the arterial system, the lymphatic system does not have its own pump. It has no heart muscle to move the fluid around through its lymph vessels. There are just three ways to activate the flow of lymph away from the tissues it serves and back into the main pulmonary circulation. Lymphatic flow requires muscular contraction from exercise and movement, gravitational pressure, and internal massage to the valves of lymph ducts. Rebounding supplies all three methods of removing waste products from the cells and from the body."

So as I read about the beneficial effects on the body of rebounding, it just made sense! I thought weight lifting would be the best thing for displacing the fluid collecting around my upper arms but after the pain I suffered last night from using them, I've changed my mind and think this may be the best option. Now to find the perfect rebounder. 

Do you remember the scene from the movie, "Fried Green Tomatoes," where Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) is jumping on her rebounder? That's going to be me soon! I'll let you know how it works and maybe I'll enjoy it so much, I'll be jumping for joy every day!

©bonnie annis all rights reserved

Just do it!

Back in 1988, Dan Wieden came up with the Nike tagline "Just do it." Those 3 simple words have become inspirational to so many people with regard to a variety of different things. Mr. Wieden, in his video interview, stated he was looking for a slogan that would speak not only to beginning athletes, like the stay at home mom, but also to world class athletes. This morning, when I woke up, those 3 little words were running through my mind.

"Just do it!" Just make yourself get out of bed and get on that treadmill today...just do it. But I hate exercise. The only exercise I've ever really enjoyed is hiking. Since I don't have any mountain trails around here to hike on, the next best thing is my trusty treadmill. Oh it's been sitting in my office for the past year. It's gotten used a few times, too, but I know, I have to commit to do more.

On my last visit to the oncologist, he told me that I needed to work really hard on losing some weight. His reasoning was very clear..."fat cells produce Estrogen and Estrogen feeds your cancer. The leaner you can become, the less chance you'll have at recurrence." Okay, doc...I get it. I have to get my butt in gear and start moving.

But I haven't felt like moving. Since surgery and radiation, my body has been in constant pain. I mean, I HURT ALL THE TIME! There hasn't been one single day that I haven't felt aches and pains all over my body. When you're hurting, it makes it hard to want to move much. In fact, it feels pretty good to just sit. But the more I sit, the more I spread! And I don't want to become a big, fat, squishy blob, now do I?

So, I had a high protein breakfast this morning. I figured that's what runners do before they start their jog...they load up on protein to give them lots of energy, but I don't really know, because I'm not nor do I ever want to be a jogger! After eating breakfast, I slipped on my sneakers. (I'd found some Ryka training shoes online at Ryka.com I'd read many reviews about walking/running shoes and found these to have great reader comments and excellent rebounding qualities.) I was determined that today was going to be a new day. I was going to do what I had to do. I was going to fight to live, and if beating cancer meant I had to walk when I didn't feel like it, so be it. I was going to "JUST DO IT!"

Before I just "did" it, I needed to find out how to maximize my walk. There had to be more to walking than just walking. I knew I needed to learn what my Target Heart Rate should be, so I went to this site. After doing all that math, I was wiped out...NO, NOT REALLY LOL! Anyway, I got my numbers and then looked online for some walking playlists with songs that fell in the 128 to 150 BPM (beats per minute) range. After loading the music up to my ITunes, I cranked up the volume and jumped on the treadmill.

I started out fairly slow, just to give myself a little warm up...2 miles an hour for 5 minutes. At each 5 minute interval, I changed the incline and the speed of the treadmill. Periodically, I checked my pulse to make sure I was getting close to my target heart rate and as I continued walking, I noticed I was having to work at little harder and my breathing was increasing.

The music helped take my mind off what I was doing. I was actually getting into it after 15 minutes. I pushed the incline up to a 5% grade and increased the speed to 3.5. I was walking pretty fast now and almost in a slow jog. I was proud of myself!

I only got thirty minutes of fast walking in this morning, but it's a start. I did notice while I was on the treadmill, my body didn't seem to hurt as much as it did when I was sitting still. Maybe it was because I was moving everything all at once and I just didn't have time to focus on one individual portion of my body...maybe it was just that I was caught up in the music and didn't care...who knows?!

I don't really like walking on the treadmill, to be honest with you. I'd rather be outdoors but we don't have anywhere suitable to walk near my home. To compensate for this, I fake myself out. I have a huge canvas of one of my photos hanging smack dab in front of my treadmill. It's a photo I took while in Alaska of the snow covered Mt. Denali (formerly known as Mt. McKinley.) As I'm walking, I imagine myself climbing slowly and surely up that mountain. When I look at those snow covered peaks, I can't help but think about the sheer determination of mountain climbers. They know their sport is dangerous. They know one mistake could take them to their death and yet, they do it anyway...the conquest of the mountain takes precedence. They move forward one icy step at a time. They just do it.

I'd like to think I have the determination and dedication to do what I have to do now to stay alive. I know it won't be easy but I'm not giving up without a fight. Before cancer, I never thought I'd have to fight to stay alive and now, it's all I think about. I want to live so I have to fight, and if fighting means I have to exercise every day of my life to keep my body from producing excess Estrogen, then I'll just have to come to terms with that. Hey, if I do it long enough, I might even begin to enjoy it, but until then, I'm going to JUST DO IT! Thanks, Nike.

 "I discipline my body like an athlete training it to do what it must do." 1 Corinthians 9:27

© bonnie annis all rights reserved