Fitness expert and PT Joey Bull takes a look at how jumping can boost fitness, bone health and confidence, sharing the rebounding benefits for women in midlife
Words: Joey Bull | Images: Shutterstock
The summer is a time for heatwaves, holidays and lounging – so you might be starting to experience joint or muscle ache through inactivity, which can lead to lethargy and fatigue.
Poor health habits begin to have more of an effect in midlife, whereas in your younger years you could perhaps have gotten away with indulgences. Fluctuating hormones compound the problem as low progesterone leads to anxiety, sleep problems and lack of muscle density. Cutting out refined foods, stimulants and alcohol is helpful, if not always easy. However, within a couple of weeks you’ll notice the difference.
Eating or supplementing with essential fatty acids is essential now, as hormones are made of fat, so a low-fat diet isn’t the answer. Eating in a more alkaline way will also help you shift stubborn weight. This means favouring green veggies and reducing acid-forming foods such as meat and dairy. Citrus fruits, although acidic, have an alkalising effect on your gut.
6 reasons you need to get jumping
The good stress
While most stress depletes you, some is good, i.e. exercise! You need this positive stress on your body to recover well over night and feel good the next day. Bursts of activity put you into a state where you release adrenaline but use it up and recover.
On the contrary, chronic mental stress just depletes your body over time if you don’t “burn” if off through sufficient movement. And while walking and jogging are great and do help, they don’t provide quite what you need to beat stress, lose weight and stay toned.
Explosive movement is what you need. Simple jumping can be done at home, or anywhere, and is helpful during midlife, firstly as it stimulates muscle growth and increases bone density and, secondly, quickly raises your heart rate.
My jumping workout need only last minutes and will fatigue you fast! Yet it will make such a difference to how your body feels and recovers, as well as boosting your metabolism, aiding fat loss and helping you sleep. What are you waiting for?
Time to explode!
Add this routine to your daily walk or jog or simply do it at home. Each of the jumps starts with a different foot position, so by the end you’ll have stimulated all the muscles in the front, back, outer and inner side of your thighs as well as your bum. When you jump, leave no gap before the next so each is consecutive. If you’re currently a little unfit, start off with four jumps in each position and build up to eight. Try to do the routine daily. NOTE: If you’re unable to jump, simply burst upwards to your tiptoes but don’t leave the ground.
Position 1: Start with your feet together, then bend your hips and knees and bounce upwards. As soon as you land, do it again. Do this 4-8 times.
Position 2: Now, widen your foot stance to parallel, feet around shoulder-width apart, then bending knees, keeping knees over your toes, jump 4-8 times.
Position 3: Next, widen your stance a little more and turn your knees and toes outwards. Make sure your knees stay in line with your feet and don’t droop inwards – think of a ballet dancer doing pliés! From there, jump 4-8 times. landing softly.
Position 4: Bring your feet together a little, turn your toes outwards as like the hands of a clock at 10 to two. Sit your bum back behind you as far as you can, then with your back long and straight, jump 4-8 times, each time landing and thrusting your bum back.
Position 5: With one foot pointing forward and the other out to the side, bend your knees over each respective foot, keeping them in alignment. This will cause a rotation in your hips, however, keep the shoulders facing forward. Leap high, landing with your knees still over your toes. Do 4-8 repetitions. Repeat with the other leg in front.
