Let's say "hey" to the rebounder, y'all! Out with the old and in with the new. You may ask, "what is a rebounder, tho?" It's a trampoline guys and it's AWESOME!
Not that we're trying to reinvent the fitness wheel here, but lezz be honest... the impact that cardio has on your joints is tough man! Running on a treadmill, road, track, or wherever can be so hard and taxing on your body over time. Yet, cardio is so good for you and your heart! The elliptical can be okay, but more like a meh, right? How boring, and it still causes you to get into your hip flexors and you go nowhere. But, rebounders are the funnest ever!
Being a fitness and Pilates instructor, I want what's best for not just my clients and their bodies, but what's best for my body too. Me and traditional cardio don't mix. Never have. I'd rather cut my pinky toe off than try to run around a track, or even walk fast. Hate it! Second, I have a crap ton of injuries from my past that still haunt me. So, a broken has-been, mixed with a post-3-child birthing body that's getting older... I needed something better suited for my body and something to get my heart racing. That's when I saw someone use one on social media, and I knew I wanted to give it a go. But here in Greensboro, where was I supposed to go to do this - New York or something?
Being a former cheerleader and dancer, rebounders are right up my alley. It allows me to build my stamina and endurance without the pounding on my body. It took me back to my younger years and that fun, free feeling I had while jumping and flipping on our big trampoline in our backyard with my sister. I also recall getting on my Mimi's old mini-trampoline that had brown leather vinyl that covered the springs and living my best Jane Fonda life. I knew I had to create my own take on this, and just like both Pilates and Yoga - this would be something that everyone's body type, age, and ailments could do and benefit from.
So, after some serious thought and experimentation, I created two different styles of classes on these trampolines. Cheer+Bounce+Sculpt and Bounce To The Barre. Both classes include rounds of cardio bursts that are safe and effective on the trampoline, mixed with the foundations of Pilates, and blended with the sculpting and balance that you find with dancers and cheerleaders. It's a freaking sweat fest!
I personally am hooked because I'm sore in all the good ways, and not the bad. I'm sore from muscles that I had forgotten I had. And the trend is catching on and growing in popularity. Not just because it's the next NEW fitness fad, but because of all of the great health benefits that come with rebounding. Rebounding is truly unique, as it uses both acceleration and deceleration to work on every cell in your body in a distinctive way. It promotes blood flow and heart rate while stimulating the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is basically your body's "garbage disposal," and its function relies completely on your body's conscious movement. Unlike our cardiovascular system that has the heart to do the work or the lymph system relies on our body movements as it pumps to drain out the toxins from your body. So any exercise encourages this to happen, but rebounding is the most powerful and effective movement therapy to increase lymph flow and to drain toxins from the body. It really is simple, because, with the up and down movement, the lymphatic fluid is forced to move and flush toxins. So while you are sweating away on the outside, the body is literally draining on the inside too. Sounds like a win-win to me.
Now, unlike the days of my Mimi's ugly, brown marbled vinyl trampoline with the coiled springs, there have been some good updates made to the mini-trampolines. Here at The WellHouse Fit, we use JumpSport Fitness rebounders that have bungee chords from the rim to the pad, and not the traditional spring system. It provides a smoother landing and has more "give" when jumping. We also love to use the rebounders, not just for the cardio aspect of the class, but we do arm work, ab work, resistance work - you name it, and we do it all and in one class. These are amazing and such a fun way to add much-needed cardio to our bodies. And there's no age limit - from little kids to adults in their 70's - they're for everyone!
xoxo,
AC
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