Trampolining for Good Health (and fun!)

The other day I had 30 minutes to kill until one kid awoke from a nap and two others needed to be picked up from school. I was eager to get some exercise and remembered the kids’ miniature trampoline of which my massage therapist speaks so highly. So I cranked some tunes and jumped and danced and gyrated and moved parts of my body in funny ways that felt good to me. It made me so happy! The half hour flew by and left me feeling much better than I had before.

"Rebounding" is great for lymph drainage. The lymph system is the detoxification system of the body made up of fluid, vessels and ducts. It allows for the fluid in-between the cells, which contains dead cells and toxins absorbed from the environment, to be carried into the blood or circulatory system, which then carries it away.

An example of your lymph system at work is when your “glands” are swollen. The last time you had a cold or sore throat you may have felt an enlargement of your glands in your neck. This is a sign that your lymph system is hard at work assisting the body in removing a pathogen or foreign invader of some kind.

The reason the trampoline works so well for moving the lymph is due to the gravitational pull that causes the valves of the lymph system to open and drain. Vigorous exercise such as running, walking and playing tennis will do this too. Other ways to assist in detoxifying your lymph system are manually via massage, castor oil packs and sweating. (My good friend Heather Manley ND has a great explanation of castor oil packs on her website.)

Mini trampolines are easy to find used. New they are $75-$350. Ours is borrowed from a friend, several years old, and it works great. Aside from all these fabulous health benefits, I recommend bouncing on a trampoline because it offers the best therapy that we can offer ourselves – fun. It will put a smile on your face, make you giggle a bit, and make you feel like a kid again.