I've tried them all. Running. (Made my knees hurt) Yoga. (Developed large shoulders and a straight waist) Spinning. (Huge thighs!) Swimming. (Not enough cardio) Zumba (fun but could never meet at the times the classes were held). Pilates. (Boooooooring) Hiking. (Too cold in the winter...I know, I'm a wuss.) I was starting to give up on the workout thing altogether until I found out about rebounders (basically a mini trampoline) that you can have in your own house. Not only is it fun but the health benefits went far beyond keeping the extra pounds off.
Dr. Donald Liebell, an anti-aging doctor in Virginia states, “The simplest, most gentle up and down movements stimulate your entire body unlike any other form of exercise. Rebounding burns calories beautifully. Because your entire body is working straight up against gravity, you build overall strength with one exercise. At the bottom of the bounce your body weight (G-force) is multiplied. In my opinion, rebounding is the number one anti-aging exercise-a critical piece of the puzzle...A Fountain of Youth exercise.”
According to Dr. Liebell rebounding helps with everything from improving skin tone, firming breast tissue, strengthening core muscles, increases flexibility, reduces stress and fights depression, increases bone mass as well as promoting weight loss, improving digestion and helps detoxify your body.
One of the reasons rebounding is so effecting at detoxifying the body has to do with your lymphatic system which normally drains quite slowly, about one to two fifths of a teaspoon per minute. When you rebound, this drainage increases to four teaspoons per minute! This increase in lymphatic circulation and therefore lymphatic drainage is the the key to detoxifying your entire body. I personally found this to be true after a week of rebounding. Gone were my sinus headaches, and popping noises in my ears. My digestion was noticeably improved as was the quality of my skin. Not to mention I was suddenly beginning to see abdominal muscles, something I hadn't seen since the birth of my first child no matter how many crunches I did.
Even NASA, after conducting a study of rebounding and its benefits stated, “Rebound Exercise is the most efficient, effective form of exercise yet devised by man.”
The findings of the study basically state that astronauts running on a treadmill had a much higher G-force measurement at the ankle and twice that at the back and head while on a trampoline the G-force was almost identical at all points which means when running, the foot and leg absorb much of the force, which can explain the higher rates of foot, shin and knee problems while rebounding on the other hand can exercise the entire body without excess pressure to the feet and legs. It also showed that acceleration and deceleration of rebounding (the up and down motion) provides benefits on a cellular level and at a greater rate than other forms of exercise like running.
James White, Ph.D., director of research and rehabilitation in the physical education department at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), has explained how jumping for health offers a true physical strengthening effect to the muscles.
“Rebounding allows the muscles to go through the full range of motion at equal force. It helps people learn to shift their weight properly and to be aware of body positions and balance,” says White.
An advocate of rebounding for athletic conditioning, White uses the rebounder in his rehabilitation program at UCSD. “When you jump, jog, and twist on this [jumping] device, you can exercise for hours without getting tired. It’s great practice for skiing, it improves your tennis stroke, and it’s a good way to burn off calories and lose weight,” says White.
White adds that jumping for health is more effective for fitness and weight loss than cycling, running or jogging, and it has the added advantage of producing fewer injuries.
The best part for me is, I'm not the only one to use it. My rambunctious 7 year old son burns off a little energy too on cold rainy days happily bouncing up and down. We even do it together which makes us laugh for no apparent reason other than it's just fun. Exercising really can be enjoyable. Who knew?
Posts
