A healthy alternative
Today many children suffer from a lack of exercise. It is often difficult for children to obtain adequate exercise if they do not play on organized sports teams and do not feel compelled to search out other forms of exercise such as biking, rock climbing, surfing, etc. Trampolining is an exceptionally beneficial form of exercise that provides a level of physicality that is equal and challenging to the capabilities of the jumper. As an individual increases his or her fitness level, he or she will be able to jump harder for longer periods-of-time. Regardless of starting ability level, children will soon see an increase in their fitness level.
A secondary benefit that is equally important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is increasing spatial awareness. Understanding where the body is in space and its relativity to other objects transcends the simple nature of bouncing on a trampoline. From walking to driving, the ability to judge distances and your relation to objects is essential in everyday life. Too many individuals lack activities that helps to not only maintain but to increase his or her spatial awareness. NASA believes that trampolining is such a beneficial form of exercise that they use trampolines to train their astronauts.
Comments
How much trampolining is recommended?
Interesting, so okay trampolining is healthy, but how much do you have to do to see the benefits? What is the recommended length of a trampoline workout, and how many times per week? How does it compare to jogging or using an exercise bike?
Recommended Trampolining
That is a very good question. There are many different ways in which you can utilize the unique benefits of a trampoline. One way is to have a longer duration workout using exercises that are not high intensity. By intermixing small bounces with large ones, you will force your body to adapt to changing environments. Another exercise you can do is to simply jog in place on the trampoline. This provides a more efficient and effective workout than jogging on cement. It is extremely low impact like an exercise bike, thus taking the joint stress and gravitational impact out of running. This can be more beneficial than using an exercise bike because you are asking your body to engage far more muscles as you maintain balance during exercise. Doing this type of workout, jogging + different types of slower bounces, can be done several times a week and for a duration that is at your discretion depending on the length of workout you are looking for.
Another excellent way to attain this form of low impact conditioning is to complete a series of plyometric exercises. These are much shorter in durations (approx. 30 sec) with an extremely high energy output. Completing five or six sets of these a couple times a week will show huge improvements in cardiovascular strength and stamina, not to mention that tremendous leg and core strength that will be developed.
I would suggest a combination of the two forms of exercise and developing a weekly routine that you will be able to follow. This type of discipline is often the most advantageous portion of a workout.