So, this will be my first “fitness” post **yaaay!** I was going to do a video, but I couldn’t find the charger for my camera, and I think I’m still a bit camera shy so I guess that worked out perfectly haha.
Anyway, I have recently discovered the joys of trampolining (or rebounding) and I LOVE it. I have a huge trampoline in my backyard, and I used it for the first time for around 30 minutes and I actually felt it in my legs, so i decided to do some research to see if I can incorporate it into my home-exercise regime.
I did find A LOT of blog posts claiming all sorts of wonderful health benefits of rebounding (especially using a mini trampoline) but as a pharmacist, I’m trained to look for science and clinical studies, and here’s what the science says:
- Rebounding eliminates almost all of the stress and trauma that running has on your bones and joints, and keeps all the benefits
- Rebounding gives the same amount of impact (g-force) at your ankles, back, and forehead meaning that no area of your body is receiving any undue stress which causes injury. The impact of running was twice as much at the ankles than the knees and back which explains things like runners knee, shin splints, and all other leg injuries that running causes.
- Rebounding works your muscles more in 10 minutes than running does in 30 minutes and because rebounding uses less oxygen, you can rebound for longer, getting a better workout than a longer run. Your muscle do majority of the work when you rebound.
- Rebounding keeps the body muscles below the “rupture threshold” or the limit at which the body sustains injuries; running puts the muscles in the lower extremities above this threshold
- Rebounding improves circulation and drainage of your body’s lymphatic system which helps to boost your immune system
- Rebounding improves posture and balance
Here are some references: one, two, three
I now use my mini trampoline at least three times a week, for at least 20 minutes, and in two weeks I can honestly say I can see the benefits. I usually do 5 minutes of jumping, 5 minutes of high knees, 5 minutes of butt kicks, and 5 minutes jumping side to side. Don’t forget to engage your core at the same time – you will feel this the next morning in your abs too. I purchased my mini trampoline from argos.co.uk for £30
The second thing I tried this month was a twist disc. It’s actually a GREAT way to exercise your core without breaking your back, and after a 10 minute twisting session, my abs were sore. Unfortunately, the next day wasn’t so good as I have scoliosis and twisting my spine continuously resulted in sore knees for a week and I had to realign my spine with stretches. Needless to say, if you have any spinal conditions, the twist disc isn’t for you. If you don’t, I would highly recommend it . I purchased mine from amazon.co.uk for £15 (including postage). In fact, if you’re the first person to share this post on Facebook and tag me in it (@fatmohn scoop) I will post you my twist disc that I only used once and sadly won’t be using again *UK residents only, sorry)*. Here’s a great video showing how to use it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEFA1bcF_ro
Let me know how it goes guys 🙂
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