In all my years of working with private clients, never have I initially assessed someone to find out that one of the ways they get cardiovascular exercise is through rebounding. To clarify, "rebounding" is NOT quickly entering into a new relationship after a breakup! It is, however, a form of exercise using a mini trampoline that you should know about. There is much to be said about the benefits of rebounding that other forms of cardio exercise don't offer, and they pertain to everyone, so read on!
According to James White, Ph.D., director of research and rehabilitation in the physical education department at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD), jumping for health offers a physical strengthening effect to the muscles. It allows muscles to go through the full range of motion at equal force. In addition to building muscular strength, rebounding is extremely gentle on bones and joints because you're jumping on a surface that "gives," so there's no solid ground to create a hard impact every time you land. And speaking of bones... yes, you guessed it! Rebounding aids in improved bone density because of the constant gravitational pressure that you are bouncing against. This is weight bearing exercise at its best!
If that isn't enough to convince you, rebounding strengthens the heart muscle, and 20 minutes of rebounding is equal to 1 hour of running for cardiovascular exercise! (Dave Scrivens, Certified Lymphologist, Well Being Journal, Vol. 17, No. 3) I personally am not a big fan of running, so this is really good news. The same benefits in a third of the time, and NO pounding impact on bones and joints! I'll take it!
DETOXIFICATION AND THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
Okay, still not convinced? I'm not giving up. Now we're getting into some real serious reasons to consider adding rebounding to your exercise regime. Because of the resistance against Earth's pull while bouncing, you build cellular strength. You are alternating between weightlessness and double gravity, which creates a pumping action that actually pulls waste products out of cells and puts oxygen and nutrition from the bloodstream into them. Why is this important? The reason is that this results in profound detoxification. Furthermore, cells float around in your lymph fluid, which carries nutrients to them and takes waste products away. But for the lymph system to do its job, it requires movement. Otherwise, cells sit in waste products and can't receive good nutrition. This, my friends, contributes to arthritis, cancer, and other degenerative diseases. The vertical up and down movement of rebounding works to pump the lymph and increases lymph flow by 15-30 times! And this is imperative because as we age, our bodies may become more toxic due to pollutants in the environment.
Those are some really important reasons to consider rebounding as an option. But if you need more, check out this additional list:
*Stimulates internal organs
*Strengthens immune system
*Can improve eyesight due to the movement of the aqueous fluid in the eyes
*Improves natural, regular bowel movements for people suffering from chronic constipation
*Reduces body fat
*Improves balance
*Improves agility
So there you have it. Now you are educated about rebounding -- what it is and what it does for you. The best part is, it's fun -- it'll bring the child out in you! Try it... I know you'll like it!
References:
Dave Scrivens, certified lymphologist, Canada's first full-time practicing lymphologist and is co-author with Philip Corning Ph.D of "The Importance of Mobilizing the Lymphatic System" published in Quest (Winter edition, 2006) a Canadian journal that focuses on remedies for fibromyalgia, myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome. This article is from Well Being Journal, Vol. 17, No. 3)