We ordered a mini-trampoline last year so our little one could burn some energy while stuck in the house during winter. She’s been using it everyday — and as much fun as she has with it, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I love using it, too.
As great as walking is, it wasn’t keeping my metabolism as in-check as it should. Using our new trampoline — or “rebounder” as it seems to be called these days — seems to be doing the trick!
I started slowly to get my bearings – maybe 5 minutes at a time, a few times a day, for the first few days. I quickly bumped it up to 10-15 minutes at a time and now, about 15 months later, it’s a breeze to jog & jump on the trampoline for 30-45 minutes or so in one session.
When we first bought the trampoline I looked online to get some ideas about rebounding “moves” to change things up a bit and discovered that rebounding is also great for your lymphatic system. I had no idea! So it seems that our lymphatic system needs help to get things moving to rid your body of stagnant, environmental toxins that have been absorbed, and the up-and-down motion from bouncing on the trampoline does just that. Throw in the immune system support you get when your lymphatic system is functioning properly, and dedicating 15-20 minutes to rebounding a couple of times each day (or more!) is a quick & fun way to kick it in gear.
Rebounding is also supposed to be great for building bone mass due to the G-force effects, but safer than going for a run on a treadmill or around the neighborhood since it isn’t as hard of an impact on your joints. Some studies show that approximately 20 minutes of rebounding equals 60 minutes of running on a treadmill.
I’ve been rebounding nearly every day for the last year & the list of things I wrote about last year after the first month of use are still accurate for me::
1. I’m sleeping better at night — this is a huge plus since I’m normally a light sleeper and wake up a LOT.
2. I have more energy during the day and I’m feeling less sluggish. Plus I love the endorphin rush after hopping around for a few minutes. It truly is a great stress reliever!
3. Last year I noticed a difference after week #2 — my legs were definitely looking more toned-up. That has gotten even better over the last 11 months.
4. I dropped a little more than 8 lbs. in the first month of jumping. This one surprised me quite a bit since I didn’t feel like I was pushing any grand limits or being extreme with my bounce time. Since that first month and as I’ve increased my time each day, I’m down an additional 20 lbs. & I’m feeling great!
I’ve never had a formal rebounding routine that I have followed – I just kind of went with the flow depending on my mood, but there are a few moves that I do at least once a day at some point:
Heel raises – While lightly bouncing, keep my toes on the trampoline, raising my heels – I’m up to 3 sets of 100 each day. My calves burn, but it’s that good burn & something that only takes a few moments to do.
The twist – Working on trimming that waistline while bouncing.
Alternating knee to the chest – This one was another pleasant surprise – it gets my heart rate up fairly quickly & actually works your core pretty well. I wasn’t expecting waking up with sore abs after starting this particular move. This one is staying in the rotation since it is way more fun that traditional sit-ups. I typically do 20-30 with one leg before switching sides.
Jumping jacks – Easy peasy!
Heel to the rear – Kind of a classic move from aerobics classes – also more fun on the trampoline & it’s a nice move to tone the hamstrings. Add in some arm movements and the heart rate boosts up more as well.
Jogging in place – This is one that I find quite fun & now that I’m able to bounce or “jog” for 30-45 minutes at a time, I use my trampoline time to catch up on whatever series we’re currently streaming on Netflix or Hulu. A lot of the shows are about 42 minutes long, so the timing is decent for a nice “run.”
Tip: I wear gym shoes while working on my mini-trampoline. Some people seem to prefer going barefoot, but my personal preference is to rebound while wearing shoes since I feel more stable that way.
I found the Stamina 38-inch Intone Plus Rebounder on sale at Amazon (spent about $40 instead of $80). So far it’s working well, though I’m curious as to how long it will hold up (with this update nearly 16 months after we started, we’re still using the same one & with daily use it’s holding up just fine for us). We do have to tighten the legs by hand before each use. If I had known that I would be using it regularly –instead of just having our 7-year-old use it — we may have looked for a sturdier model, but for now, this one is still working well.
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor & you must check with your personal physician before starting any sort of exercise. The information above is based on my personal experience. I’ve found lots of great articles and supporting studies regarding the benefits of rebounding. A couple of my favorites can be found here, here and here.
I’ve also pinned some great rebounding workout ideas on Pinterest – they’re on my Inspired Health & Fitness board if you’d like to check them out! I’ll report some updates down the road as my Adventures with the Mini-Trampoline continues.
Happy bouncing!
Article Updated in May 2017 now that I’ve been using the trampoline for over a year. 🙂
