Trampoline health benefits
Trampolining is a great holistic health giver, bringing both physical and mental benefits to adults and children alike. In comparison to jogging, for example, trampolining is more effective, faster: with a ten minute session providing equivalent benefits to a half hour run, yet, says NASA, also being 68% more effective!
In more detail, the health benefits of trampolining are:
Cardiovascular fitness
Trampolines and rebounders increase your muscles' strength and fitness. The benefits this, and the increase to your pulse rate brought about by jumping, brings to your heart and circulation ensures that oxygen is pumped round your body more efficiently, making you feel healthier and more alert. Plus it's a great way to keep your weight down. It is even possible to trampoline after a heart attack, once your doctor approves it, to help strengthen your heart.
Low impact
Unlike some sports like jogging and tennis, trampolining or rebounding has comparatively low joint impact for a high impact, intensive exercise routine. This is because your vertical acceleration and deceleration is soaked up by the trampoline pad, which takes up over 80% of the shock; whereas hard surfaces such as roads do not have enough give to do this. This means that trampolining protects your joints whilst exercising your muscles.
Stronger bones
Trampoline exercise is strenuous and the repetition of the jump action puts the bones under repeated slight stress; this helps your musculoskeletal system build up and improves bone mineral content. Each landing from a jump is equivalent to twice the force of gravity: the strength this allows you to develop over time helps to prevent brittle bone disease, or osteoporosis. Because the trampoline pad is bouncy and soaks up a large proportion of the impact of your landing, your bones and jointed are protected whilst being strengthened.
Detoxifying and lymphatic drainage
The lymph system is the detoxification system of the body by which fluid can flow from the interstitial spaces (the spaces around cells) into the blood. The lymph is responsible for carrying away substances which cannot be removed by absorption directly into the blood capillary. These include dead cells and other toxic materials as well as blood proteins. The return of proteins into the blood from interstitial spaces (via the lymphatic system) is an essential body function.
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Unlike the blood system which has the heart, the lymph system does not have an organ to pump itself round the body. It relies on gravity and body movement. Bouncing on a trampoline (including a rebounder) stimulates the free-flowing lymphatic drainage system, which helps rid your body of toxins, trapped protein, bacteria, viruses, and other waste the cells cast off. The G-Force at the top of the bounce is zero and the body becomes weightless for a fraction of a second. At the bottom of the bounce, the G-Force suddenly doubles over what is ordinary gravity on earth, and internal organs are put under pressure. Their cellular stimulation is increased accordingly so that waste materials within cells get squeezed out. The lymph carries the waste away to be disposed of through the urinary tract and other excretory mechanisms. The vertical use of acceleration, deceleration, and gravity provide the ideal conditions for cleansing cells.
Mental health
Not only does improved circulation pump clean oxygen into your brain, making you feel more alert, but also the physical activity you perform whilst trampolining will make you feel happier, more positive, even more self confident. Endorphins, the positive mood-enhancing natural chemicals released by all exercise including jogging, cycling and even sex are triggered by trampolining; but, added to this, the sheer fun factor of jumping up and down will make you smile, make you laugh, make you feel really happy. It's unavoidable: you just can't feel blue when you're bouncing, especially in the fresh air.
Autism
Tests have linked trampolining with positive benefits for children with autism. The fun and sense of well-being is augmented by proprioceptive (awareness of one’s body positions) input and vestibular (how the body responds to movement through space) motion feedback. Jumping and balancing on a trampoline can help physically and sensory integrate the body’s different systems. Getting brothers and sisters involved provides a huge social benefit, too.
Trim and tone
Trampolining uses a variety of muscles including stomach and legs. This helps you keep your tummy trim, your bottom toned, your thighs slim: in fact, the exercise and muscle control required is a really good way to burn fat, tone up and keep the weight off. Added to which the fresh air and endorphins will help you look bright-eyed and gorgeous.
Increased metabolism
Trampoline exercise has been proven to increase your metabolic rate, helping your body to process nutrients more efficiently. This helps to you keep your weight down.
Co-ordination and motor skills
One of David Beckham's training session targets would have been to help develop his ball control skills. Similarly, the NASA trainee astronauts need to learn to perform skillful activities whilst unsupported by gravity. Trampoline exercise is a great way to develop the skills that allow you to undertake a number of items requiring concentration at the same time: bouncing, balancing, maintaining the body's position, and anticipating the next action. This is proven to have a positive impact on bilateral motor skills, as well as allowing trampolinists to control different muscles and limbs at the same time as one another.
Convenience
The trampoline or rebounder provides a set space in which you can exercise. You don't need to get to the gym or tennis courts, you don't need to find a route for your run or bike ride, you don't even need to get changed into special clothes (apart from a good sports bra, for women). The trampoline is in one place, easy to get to, offers privacy (unless your neighbours can see you bouncing over the fence!) and any comfortable clothing is suitable for your trampoline exercise.
More health benefits of trampolining can be found by visiting Health Benefits of Trampolining.