Health Benefits of Rebounding – Bounce your way to a better body!!
Rebounding is simply jumping on a trampoline. The health benefits are so many it will blow your mind! But don’t stress, you don’t need to rush out and buy a regular trampoline… what you need is a mini trampoline, commonly called a rebounder. I am so excited to share with you the many health benefits of rebounding, as it has helped me so much over the years. This inexpensive little gem is just the thing to improve a wide range of problems your body faces every day. Here are just a few… increased blood circulation, improved lymphatic flow, better mental clarity, muscle improvement, increased oxygen and another bouncing bonus…
It is…… FUN!!
Even NASA agrees how great the effects are. Would you believe, more effective than running? If I have invoked even a spark of interest please stick around and I will try to convince you that this is what you should be including into your life.
A LITTLE ON LYMPHATICS!
It is impossible to promote the wonder of the rebounder and not give a special place to the human lymphatic master. Let’s explore, just briefly, how incredibly important a healthy lymphatic system is. It is the key to having everything working smoothly. Movement becomes an ease and no longer a major chore.
You may have heard it said that our lymphatic system is like our own sewage system. We even have a particular area in our bodies where the gunky lymph fluid drains to called, wait for it, the ‘Cisterni chyli’. Remind you of something? Another kind of cistern?
Anyway, fun fact, but moving on….
Our tissues gather all sorts of toxins, bacteria and waste that have been leaked out from our capillaries. This unwanted concoction is now fluid called Lymph and as it moves through our body, it goes through a stringent inspection in many areas but in three main areas. These are called Lymph Nodes. Our three main lymph nodes are the inguinal nodes in the groin, the axillary nodes in the armpit, and the cervical nodes in the neck. Here is where the white blood cells, lymphocytes, attack the bacteria, toxins and cancer cells as an immune response and prevents them from being fed back into our bloodstream. Now the fluid can be released back into the circulatory system.
Unlike our blood circulatory system the lymphatic does not have a pump to keep it moving so it relies on our body’s movement for its flow. This is why many people suffer from fluid around the lower extremities because the lymph needs a push to get the flow happening.
Enter rebounder! The up and down bouncing movement on the mini trampoline drives the fluid upward toward the drainage lymph nodes. This process is key to so many daily niggles that we put up with when we could be so much happier and healthier. Lets name some things that rebounding will affect and see if any resonate with you…
One of the great bonuses of this exercise is that you reap great benefits with not only little effort, but in little time as well. For example you only need to bounce lightly for around 10 minutes per day to begin to feel better and have that lymphatic fluid activated and freely flowing.
Because of the affore mentioned tid bit, most anyone at any age can experience this low impact activity. Even the elderly could stand and lightly bounce.
Inexpensive! Rebounders are inexpensive. They start at as low as $30AUS for the basic and from there you can get upgraded versions with handles and added springs. If you can afford an upgraded version, I would recommend it as it will have the safety additions.
The biggest benefit of all is of course your health and well being. There is so much that goes on in our bodies that we can’t see and have no idea (most of us anyway) what is going on until you are hit with bad news that you may not be able to repair. This is one way to help prevent that from happening and enjoy the body that we have.
HOW TO USE A REBOUNDER
HEALTH BOUNCE: Stand with feet at hip width apart, look forward and bend your knees to create small bounce. At first if you have never used a rebounder you may experience a little lightheadedness so its best to start with a very light bounce where your feet don’t leave the mat then as you get used to the movement you may feel like increasing your bounce. You should focus on your weight in your heels and imagine pressing into the mat of the rebounder.
When you feel comfortable at this stage you can increase your bounce so that your feet leave the mat a little.
PELVIC FLOOR BOUNCE: With a small exercise ball placed between your legs, begin a light bounce and continue for up to 5 minutes and increasing the time as you feel your body is ready. This can be great to strengthen your pelvic floor and decrease experiencing incontinence.
JOG BOUNCE: Another variation is a light jog, or really just a hop from one foot to the other. Again when ready, increase the bounce until you are actually jogging with knees up.
ADVANCED JOG: Once you have warmed up and really feel the energy pushing you to do more you can make that jog fast and furious.
TWISTING: Get some music on and get groovy with feet closer together and twisting those hips side to side. Arms swing opposite direction to your hips. SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!
ADD WEIGHTS: Hold some light weights to give your upper body some work. Pull arms out and up, or curl up from the elbows for a bicep workout.
HOW MUCH DO YOU VALUE YOUR HEALTH?
There is one thing in my life that I hold extremely important and it’s no secret what that is. … my health! Why? Well, I have to live with myself. And I want to be the best that I can be. Don’t misunderstand me, I still have my vices, but they are my vices and nobody elses. You won’t hear me talking about them here because I want to be a help and not a hinder to those who need it. I have not always been so focused on health but I have learned that that has been to my detriment. As a child I did not have a very healthy diet. As a teenager, even worse lifestyle. So those few years of my developmental life bite me on the backside in my adult life. Thankfully I caught it before it turned nasty and in to something that I couldn’t reverse. I really believe that our history of mistreating our body will come back with a vengence.
BACK TO BASICS APPROACH
In everything I have adopted a back to basics approach. Sometimes life can just really suck and thats exactly what it does…. sucks the life out of you. Ever been there? The life and evergy that it inspires you to give and be available for people. Sometimes we need to just stop and take time to reconnect with the basics. For me, it was pretty drastic, I stripped my food consumption back to the basics. Fruit!!!! Or should I say FORGOTTEN FRUIT!I say that because I don;t see many folks eating, enjoying this precious fift of nature, Since I have been on this journey I have listened very carefully to my body and responded in kind. It has said, “Yes, Yes!” and “No, NO!” to me and I listened. Youknow what I learned? My body is so smart and it deserves my respect and care. I was created, designed to function a very specific way and I have discovered that very way. We have been bombarded by marteting and promotions to do only one thing, make the rich, richer. How do you feel about that? Does that bother you? It really bothers me.
There are a handful of things I consider healthful in my life and I would love to share them in another post.
I truly hope this look into the rebounder has opened your eyes to how it can help your body function better and if you do decide to start bouncing, please let me know how you find it. My advice… Have fun!
