This is my VERY FAVORITE benefit! Why should you care about lymphatic drainage? The lymphatic system is a crucial part of your immune system that rids the body of toxins, viruses, bacteria, waste, and even cancer cells. A lot of people use manual techniques like massage to help move things along, but this can be expensive and is not in everyone’s budget. Rebounding is a much cheaper option that offers countless other benefits like improved circulation. This increase in blood flow and drainage helps move lymphocytes through your system. Personally, I had a horrible case of mononucleosis when I was 17. After that illness, I had a swollen lymph node that never went back to its normal size. Whenever I would catch a cold or stomach bug, that node would swell so much, you could see it protruding from my neck. When I started using a rebounder, that node finally retracted to it’s normal size again! Amazing! I lived with that extra large node for more than a decade and was so happy to see it start behaving
Strengthens your pelvic floor
After my first rebounder workout, I felt a little sore in the same areas I was sore after having a baby. Yikes. This led me to researching exactly which muscles are activated when bouncing on a trampoline. Turns out, rebounding is an incredible way to activate and strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Who knew? Kegels always seem to get all the glory in that department! Strengthening these muscles helps with bladder control, enhances orgasms, and stabilizes the hip joint. I have had clients throughout the years who refused to do any type of jumping exercise, because they suffered from urinary incontinence after child birth. One in 4 women actually experience urinary incontinence, so if you’re one of those women, consider adding some trampoline workouts into your life. A 20 minute bounce session is all it takes to tone those muscles. If you need to, wear a pad for your first few weeks rebounding! No shame in that, y’all!
A research study, published in 2016 in the International Journal of Sports Science, showed that rebounding burns fat 50% faster than running and increases cardiovascular fitness more than twice as fast. Another study published in the German Journal of Sports Medicine studied participants for eight weeks and found that three 19 minute rebounder workouts a week reduced body fat by an impressive 5.4%!
Bouncing engages your brain and inner ear, which will improve your balance. Rebounding also forces your body to focus on spatial awareness and activate all muscle groups. I love letting my toddler bounce on my rebounder, because his coordination improved greatly within just a week of jumping. Plus, it gets all his energy out before nap time!
Keeps your back healthy and pain free
An estimated four out of five adults experience back pain at some point during their life. If you have never dealt with back pain, you most likely will at some point. Fortunately, exercise is a great way to keep your back strong and protect yourself from injury. Strengthening your core is a key element of back health, and rebounding works your core from every angle. Bouncing also improves posture, which will help your spine maintain proper alignment.
Improves your cardiovascular endurance
This one is obvious within a few minutes of bouncing! Jumping gets your heart pumping quickly without putting too much stress on your joints. Treadmills are notorious for killing your knees over time, and according to a NASA study, not as effective as rebounding. This study found, for similar levels of HR [heart rate] and VO2 [oxygen consumption], the magnitude of the biomechanical stimuli is greater with jumping on a trampoline than with running. In other words, bouncing engages more muscles than running, all while being gentler on your bod. If you’re a treadmill junkie, consider swapping your treadmill sesh for a rebounder workout. Your joints will thank you.
Upgrades your favorite exercises
Rebounders are also great for kicking your favorite exercises up a notch! Try doing squats, step ups, pushups, etc on the rebounder to add an element of instability and level up your fitness routine.
I use the Jump Sport Fitness 350 Pro Model Rebounder and LOVE it. It’s super quiet (I can get a workout in while my toddler naps!) and you can easily adjust the firmness to suit your preference. Click on”Shop my Favorite Rebounders” to shop my trampoline and similar models!