Now that one of sugarholics favorite holiday is behind us, you may be wondering how exactly to go about losing some of the extra baggage accrued over the last few months.  Blame it on the weather, holidays, economy or stress - but ready or not, here comes bathing suit season.

With so many trends, theories and infomercials, its hard to know where to start, where to spend your money and what is really going to give you results.  Afterall, you want something that isn’t going to:

1). Cost a ton.

2). Be boring.

3). Require a lot of time.

I have been on many a detox diet, but the one that resonated very loudly for me (and apparently Halle Berry) is called The Fat Flush Plan.  I had been following it on and off for a few years but decided to take the book’s exercise recommendation seriously and buy a ReboundAir Half Fold Rebounder when I finally got serious about losing weight about a year ago.  So what is a “rebounder” you may ask.  It’s a mini trampoline.  Yes, you jump up and down, up and down and bounce off fat.  Yes, yes you do.  Sounds too easy right?  It is.  Its up to you to make it as difficult or as easy as you want to but almost everyone can benefit from just 15 minutes per day and you’ll likely see fast results with 30-45 minutes per day.  (And it can be broken up into 15 minute manageable sessions too). 

Some benefits:

a). Uses no electricity (unlike a treadmill).

b). Easily folds and slides into a closet or under the bed.

c). Easy on joints.

d). Stimulates your lymphatic system.

e).  Lifetime warranty.

I know from personal experience that jumping on my own rebounder for 30 minutes a day, 3-5 days a week yielded a noticeable difference in the way my clothes fit and my muscles looked and felt (in fact I lost a few sizes).  I feel stronger, have more energy and I really did feel as though the fat was melting off my body.  Of course I was also eating well, but that won’t necessarily leave you toned.  After a few months I also incorporated hand weights and practiced boxing like moves while jumping to tone my upper body. 

Need more proof?  Check out what N.A.S.A. has to say about it here. 

Obviously the greenest choice would be to get outside and exercise, but let’s face it - not all of us have that luxury (or desire) when there’s two feet of snow on the group or in the miserably hot humid months of summer.  Save gas going to the gym and save electricity by not having to plug this in!  Its a bit of a chunk of change up front but knowing all the benefits, coming with a lifetime warranty and being much cheaper than a treadmill….I was sold and I’d say its one of the best purchases I’ve made.