Enjoyable and Easy Workouts

Exercise is not just for the body. Fitness is also essential for the brain. Every cell in our organs, including the heart and brain, need movement to survive and thrive. Workouts affect us at the genetic level.

Photo by Mariah Solomon on Unsplash

I want to highlight the importance of exercise as my unique workout regime significantly impacted my transformational goals. Before you stop reading this article, bear with me for a few minutes. Your perceptions may change. The activities I shall introduce to you here do not require pain in order to gain.

I am not here to preach and tell you to go to the gym every day and sweat for hours carrying dumbbells. I will not ask you to get up at 5 AM and rush for a swimming session.

Instead, I introduce enjoyable and convenient workouts that anyone and everyone can do at home. Thus, I named this chapter “Joyful Workouts.” What could be joyful about training and exercise? I answer this question by sharing my story.

Upon entering a new trampoline fitness centre years ago, I experienced a light-bulb-going-off-in-my-head and eye-opening moment. My 12-year-old son was fascinated and dragged us to the centre every day. This boy has grown into an adult with excellent muscle build and balance.

He made us so curious when he was jumping and laughing with his other kids. I took the plunge and joined them. It was terrific fun. Reliving my childhood was my first positive experience with the trampoline.

Time passed so quickly with collective joy in the centre. A one-hour session seemed to pass in one minute.

My heart rate was significantly elevated. I checked it from my smartwatch. The session put me into an endorphin-enriched euphoric state.

After the jumping session on the trampoline, my night was extra pleasant. I experienced a flawless sleep for the first time in my life. Something magical entered my stressful world.

With this awareness and enthusiasm, I kept jumping with the kids. The laughter and positive energy in the air created bonus benefits for my stress. I learned to be in the moment in the middle of joy with kids.

Regular use of this simple activity substantially increased my fitness.

After a while, the dream ended with disappointment. We couldn’t go to the centre anymore. His extracurricular activities and educational commitments got in the way. Besides, my ever-increasing work activities and my wife’s social commitments created a problem. I dearly missed the fun. I was reluctant to go to a children’s centre as an adult without taking a kid with me (both embarrassment and others might think disgusting thoughts of me in this crazy world).

I brainstormed on bringing this fun activity to my life again. One day, serendipitously, I saw an advertisement on YouTube featuring a trampoline company in the USA. This company confirmed to ship their products overseas. This video inspired me to act. The only problem was it was more expensive than my other fitness gear. I did not care about the cost and ordered a small-size indoor trampoline.

It arrived after six weeks. I thought it would be tiny, but it was a reasonable size. I started using it with pleasure. It became my best friend in the winter, especially on rainy days when I couldn’t go out for a walk.

I created innovative ways to use this indoor trampoline. It was ideal to jump and watch some dance videos on YouTube gently. Sometimes I listened to audiobooks. Watching and listening while slowly jumping on the trampoline, reduced my stress. As a bonus, I completed my daily ten thousand step walking goal.

I learned about some additional benefits of using a trampoline for my health. I observed the positive changes in my mind and body.

Regular use of trampoline increased lymphatic flow in my body. It detoxified harmful materials from my cells. Cleansing the lymphatic system helped me improve my immune system.

I experienced increased skeletal and overall bone density validated by DEXA scans. Bone health is critical for me. The literature I reviewed on this topic pointed out that particular workouts on a trampoline can prevent skeletal decay.

Apart from improved fitness, I also observed that my heart rate did not go as high as in my earlier days. In other words, I became ‘cardiovascularly fitter.

I also read about the benefit that increasing oxygen circulation can increase cell energy. I didn’t have a device to test this, but my overall breathing profile improved. I breathed during the trampoline sessions and even got better afterwards.

I used to run years ago. I always felt awful afterwards due to pain in my joints. Now hopping on the trampoline, I don’t experience excessive pressure on my joints. Protecting my joints is another preventative measure for premature aging and potential skeletal risks of disease.

Jumping on the trampoline in different patterns, I achieved a better balance. I read in several resources that jumping on a trampoline can stimulate the vestibular and semi-circular canals in the middle ear. This stimulation can improve balance.

Some trampoline fans even pointed out that it could prevent cancer through the improved circulation of the lymphatic fluid by removing cancerous cells in the body. However, I don’t have a mechanism to test this. There is not enough scientific evidence yet. However, I find it refreshing to hear about these exciting speculations because they may be validated in the future. I keep an open mind about the potential benefits of trampolines.

Best of all, I did not experience any side effects of hopping on a trampoline with caution. The only risk is falling from the trampoline. If the trampoline is not used correctly without paying attention, one may get dizzy and fall. As a precaution, I always ensure that there are no sharp objects around the trampoline. I only use it on a smooth carpet in my workout room. I didn’t need to jump too high. Just bouncing with a little distance between my feet and the mesh was enough to achieve the benefits.

After the trampoline, let me introduce a vibration machine that turned out to be a unique workout regime for me.

This wonder machine is excellent for an overall muscle workout. It is fun. It used to be an expensive apparatus once upon a time, but now it is affordable.

I usually hop on the vibration machine for ten minutes and leave myself to the flow. I hold on to the hand bars.

After each workout session, around five to ten minutes, all muscles are worked out. Intelligent and visionary scientists designed the vibration machine for brave astronauts. Their vision was to keep the muscle mass of these astronauts in space. The fast vibration of the device can cause involuntary muscle movements.

Since I started using a vibration machine many years now, I noticed improvements in my muscle tone and bone density.

Using a vibration machine daily also improved my overall fitness, including flexibility and agility. It is a cardiovascular exercise as my heart rate, and blood pressure increases during the workout.

Like a trampoline, using a vibration machine has been beneficial to maintain better balance and improved flexibility and coordination. Using a vibration machine with a trampoline at home has been the best combination of a daily workout regimen for me. They were ideal tools when I could not go out for a walk or to the gym due to weather conditions, work schedule, and family commitments at home.

After introducing these two cardiovascular and aerobic exercise tools for my needs, my fitness toolbox’s next critical tool is the traditional pull-up machine. It served a different purpose.

I believe the pull-up machine is an impressive strength and weight training tool. Regular use of pull-ups can develop strength and increase muscle mass, focusing on the back and the biceps’ large muscles.

I made it a habit to use my indoor pull-up machine. I do several pull-ups in the mornings and the evenings after work.

Pull-up was not easy for me. Initially, I was able to do only five pull-ups with incredible difficulty. All my body was shaking and getting sore after even one set of five reps.

After years of practice at home on my pull-up machine, I can now achieve 20 consecutive pull-ups daily with no recovery time required. One session takes only five minutes to do three sets.

I feel great and energized when I perform three sets of 20 pull-ups in the morning. Sixty pull-ups increased my fitness substantially and took it to the next level.

Purchasing a pull-up machine was only a few hundred dollars investment, but it was worth it. It proved to be a transformational fitness tool.

Nowadays, if I cannot go to the gym, this pull-up machine is my first go-to machine at home after the trampoline and vibration machine.

While using the trampoline and vibration machine for aerobic and cardio purposes, I use the pull-up machine for strength and lean muscle building training.

Adding three simple and joyful workouts made a tremendous impact on my health and fitness. They also contributed to my mental health. Since I start using these powerful tools at home, I never felt bored and unfit. Gyms may be closed due to pandemics, and stormy weather can prevent me from going out, but there is no excuse for me not to exercise anymore.

Thank you for reading my perspectives.

Follow me to see more articles like this.

...

Follow