Funny, whether you’re a Magic fan or not, or if you’re like me and don’t know squat about basketball. Nice work, Scooter Magruder!

This past Saturday was full of excitement for the Pulse crew. We started the day careening through the air on the Screamin’Gator Zip Line at Gatorland and then topped it off with ridiculous amounts of fun at AirHeads Indoor Trampoline Arena.

Ridiculous Amounts of Fun, Exhibit A:

Ash Bouncing at AirHeads! from Kim Taylor on Vimeo.

AirHeads doesn’t need much explanation; from the moment you walk in, sensory overload sets in. You see a giant Connect 4 game, tons of arcade-like games, and wall-to-wall trampolines. It’s pretty amazing.  AirHeads is all ages and they do their best to group jumpers together according to size, which definitely works to everyone’s advantage (hello, have you seen my jumping?!).

Amazingness, Exhibit B:

If you need more reasons to check out AirHeads, they also have Dodgeball Thursday nights and calorie-busting fitness classes, totally cannot wait to try those!!

AirHeads Orlando is located just outside Downtown Orlando at 33 West Pineloch Avenue. Do yourself a favor, skip two lattes and use the cash here … it’ll be way more fun!

Wanna see more of our photos from AirHeads? Check out our Flickr Photostream!

I bet you’re already sick of seeing the debates on TV and the campaign ads every time you change the channel, but politics matter and knowledge is power.  In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock, 2012 is a Presidential election year and Florida’s Primary is coming up this Tuesday, January 31.

If you want to see an end to partisanship in Washington, you should learn more about Americans Elect.

“With Americans Elect, you have the power to choose leadership that puts country before party, and America’s interests before special interests. You have the power to change politics as usual.”

Join Americans Elect to Crash the Party Tuesday in the Milk District where they’ll be hanging out at Tasty Tuesdays!

Get involved, learn more and let your voice be heard. And, thanks to a friend of Pulse for sharing this with us!

User-submitted tags are always way more fun than the ones we find ourselves.  Here’s one from fellow blogger, Ben Reed.  Thanks, Ben!

This isn’t a fitness blog … but you already knew that, right? But, since both Ash & I value a healthy lifestyle, why not continue to share things we learn along the way. Like 10 Ways to Get Fit in Orlando or our favorite new boot camp?

In July, I realized my own efforts toward getting fit weren’t enough.  I needed an expert.  Luckily, a friend of Pulse had long ago recommended his trainer at A Balanced Body in Winter Park.  Enter Rob Murray, whose name has more initials after it than most doctors I know!  Seriously … did you know someone could be certified as an athletic trainer, massage therapist and a health and fitness director?

Sure, picking a personal trainer is, well, personal, but what if you knew you could get:

• A workout tailored to your fitness goals
• Efficient workouts that yield visible results
• Nutrition counseling (this one is more important than I ever gave it credit for)
• One-on-one instruction from experienced trainers who actually want to see you succeed
  

  The Gym at A Balanced Body

I’ll be the first one to admit, I was extremely skeptical.  What could a trainer do that I couldn’t do on my own in a gym? After several months of ongoing sessions, it’s impossible to list the endless number of things you can learn from adding a trainer to your fitness routine.

A couple of the most important takeaways for me so far:

• No amount of exercise can make up for a crappy diet, and by diet I mean crappy eating.  Your body “starts over” every four hours, so no skipping breakfast so you can have a cheeseburger later … it doesn’t work that way ( … I thought it did!)
• You’ll never push yourself as hard as a trainer would — this one is a biggie.  Beyond just helping you with proper form, a trainer is there to convince you to do two more reps when you were ready to give up the moment it becomes uncomfortable.
• Having someone put you ‘in check’when the scale doesn’t move as quickly as you’d hoped is invaluable.

So, if you’re looking for a new way to jumpstart an old fitness routine, check out A Balanced Body.  The no-frills gym is the perfect place to get fit … they also offer Thai massage and Pilates in their neighboring studio.  What more could you ask for?

Details:
A Balanced Body
1971 Howell Branch Road
Winter Park
407/644-5001

Disclaimer: This isn’t a sponsored post. This is my experience.

If you’ve ever been canoeing in Wekiva or stand up paddle boarding in Cocoa Beach, chances are you’ve seen a manatee or two.

If you haven’t, check out the new Wild Manatee Cams at Blue Springs State Park for a birds-eye view of the gentle giants in their natural habitat.

The Save the Manatee Club was founded in 1981 by Jimmy Buffet (who knew?!) to protect the state’s official marine mammal (again, who knew?!).

For a mere $25 you can adopt-a-manatee, but for the price of your email address, you can check out the Manatee Cams for free!

Don’t miss your chance to see the awesomeness that is Texas-based, alt-country band the Old 97′s at Orlando’s The Plaza “LIVE.”

They’ve been around for years … you may even remember seeing them in the Vince Vaughn & Jennifer Aniston flick, “The Breakup” … fun fact: they’re one of Vince Vaughn’s favorite bands!

Details:

When … Monday, January 23

Where … The Plaza “LIVE”

Time … 8 p.m. (Pre-show and doors at 5)

Tickets … $22.95

See you there!

Get There and Get This Amazing Body! Do It!

What better time than now to drop everything and get started with a new fitness routine? Get There Boot Camp, hosted by friend of Pulse, Dena Davis, is sure to help you burn those extra holiday pounds in no time.

Held most weeknights and Saturday mornings at Lake Eola, this upbeat group boot camp is not only fun, but an awesome workout. Ash & I tried it ourselves a few weeks ago and Ash has already been back for seconds.

Bring $10, a towel and some water and be prepared to work hard for the full hour that follows … no wussies allowed! Boot Camp attendees meet at Lake Eola across the street from the downtown Publix on Central Avenue … to confirm, make sure to ‘like’the Get There Boot Camp Facebook page. An added benefit of liking the page: daily inspirational messages and reminders to stay fit.

What are you waiting for? Get There!

Former XL 106.7 beauty, Jayde Donovan is returning to Florida and to the airwaves.

Sadly, she won’t be heard here in Orlando … unless you have a really strong antenna, but our neighbors to the west will be delighted on their morning drive as Jayde takes over mornings at Hot 101.5!

Welcome back, Jayde!