Allow me to tell why I think most of us should be bouncing on a trampoline daily. And, before you conjure up images of your little brothers launching themselves from your parents’ rooftop onto a giant trampoline and then off into the dirt…(wait a sec, was it just our wild family doing stuff like that?!)…I’m actually talking about a mini-tramp. The simple, innocent, and unassuming mini-tramp. And when I say bouncing, that’s exactly what I mean…bouncing, not even full-on jumping because that’s all it takes! Let me list a few benefits of doing just 3 short sessions of 3-5 minutes per day:
- Encourages lymphatic drainage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pATbQXP455w)
- Stimulates your digestive system, which means better digestion
- Great for increasing bone mass, i.e. preventing & overcoming osteopenia or osteoporosis
- Great exercise with virtually NO stress/strain on your ankles & knees, vs. high impact exercises
- Circulation of oxygen throughout your body
- Improves muscle tone in the whole body
- Increases balance by stimulating the vestibule in the middle ear
Surprisingly, there has been a lot of research done on this particular little exercise. Even NASA has done great research in using “rebounders” or mini-trampolines to help astronauts recover after having been in space. One study found those who rebounded for 30 seconds between weight lifting sets saw 25% more improvement after 12 weeks than those who skipped the rebounder. Pretty neat stuff! My little boy bounces on ours everyday (we keep it in our living room along with our BOSU ball), and now that I know how good it does my body, I’ve been doing it, too! Stay tuned for the next “Real Function” article in 3 weeks on the other item we keep in our living room floor next to the rebounder & BOSU ball (remember that from our last “Real Function” article? 🙂