Rebounding: Aerobic Resistive Exercise

By Dr. Tina Wellman, PhD, PNE

What is the weakest force in the universe and has the most profound effect on the human body? Gravity. As we age, the relentless pull of gravity causes our body to sag in a southerly direction. We develop wrinkles, flabby forearms, portly midriffs, varicosities, edemic feet and ankles, stooped shoulders, turkey necks, and compressed spines, to name a few multifarious insults to our body shape.

To compensate for this “G-force” we must continually work against it through body movement. Regular exercise is essential to maintain optimal health. Apiarian Royden Brown noted, “It has been scientifically documented that exercising regularly increases longevity and enhanced quality of life.”¹ The proverbial expression “either use it or lose it” applies to the body’s need for daily exercise as well as to maintain musculoskeletal strength, immunity, and psychobiological balance. The best nutrition in the world cannot sustain us if our circulation is stagnant and we do not receive oxygen-rich blood to our body’s three trillion cells.²

G-force (Gravitational Force)
Gravitational force is key to understanding resistive rebounding’s health benefits. By combining the forces of acceleration and deceleration, body cells are tricked into believing they are being subjected to increased gravity.³ NASA clearly demonstrated the virtues of rebounding when they designed an exercise protocol in the zero gravity of space. Loss of bone density and muscle mass are the negative results incurred to astronauts soaring through the cosmos at zero gravity. Scientific blood analysis that included subjecting weakened blood cells (of returning astronauts) to increased G-force evidenced an increase in cellular strength. It is this increase in G-force during rebounding (specifically during deceleration) that challenges body cells to strengthen.⁴

An Exercise for all Ages
Rebounding knows no social boundaries and has no age limitations. Exercise guru Jack LaLanne often demonstrated rebounding on his popular TV exercise program. Comedian Bob Hope once noted “I keep my rebounder at the foot of my bed and use it daily.” Morning talk-show host Regis Philbin enjoyed a rebounding session during one of his interviews with fitness expert and nutritionist to the stars Rheo Blair on his 1970s “A.M. Los Angeles” television program. A rebounder even found its way into the White House during the Reagan administration!

Virtues of Rebounding
Rebounding, or jumping on a mini trampoline, has universal exercise appeal and a plethora of health benefits. The repetitive rhythmic motion of bouncing on a mini trampoline provides a zero-impact simple exercise method with high impact, long term (mental and physical) health benefits that extend from youth to old age:

1. Rebounding is 68% more efficient than jogging (as noted by NASA in a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology).⁵
2. Improves digestion and elimination of cellular waste.
3. Accelerates metabolism to burn calories for weight control.⁶
4. Increases oxygen uptake and promotes detoxification via the lungs, skin, and lymph.
5. Has a natural analgesic effect on the body, relieving pain in the neck, back, and head by increasing circulation and oxygen flow.⁷
6. Lowers blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol naturally by increasing oxygenation and dilating the blood vessels for smoother and easier blood flow.⁸
7. Improves circulatory disorders by increasing cellular respiration.
8. Promotes regular elimination. Exercise is known to increase metabolism and relieve constipation.
9. Has a stabilizing effect on the nervous system, thereby reducing stress. Rebound exercising increases endorphin output, thereby promoting the relaxation response. Increased oxygen flow increases our sense of well being without the toxic side effects of narcotics or anti-depressants.
10. An excellent precursor to sports training, including golf, tennis, skiing, skating, mountain climbing, and kickboxing, without incurring joint trauma.
11. Promotes physical and mental efficiency (and stability) by increasing oxygen levels and decreasing toxicity (heavy metals and cellular waste).
12. Provides “no impact” aerobics, especially helpful for those who are handicapped, arthritic, elderly, or immune compromised with limited mobility.
13. An optimal exercise method for pregnant women to stay in shape without incurring musculoskeletal trauma.
14. Provides aerobic exercise without incurring stress to the joints.
15. An ideal method for teaching youngsters coordination and balance while encouraging physical fitness.
16. A superior exercise for those who are immune compromised, including those who have cancer and MS. Rebounding stimulates healing and cleansing. Rebound author and lecturer Linda Brooks notes rebounding 2 minutes every hour “is the ideal protocol for defense against cancer. In just two minutes the entire lymphatic system is flushed,” and and white blood cell count nearly triples, providing a greater defense system to destroy cancer cells.⁹
17. A year-round exercise that can be performed indoors or outdoors and is easily portable to provide exercise on the go for those who travel. Great for stay-at-home moms, home business owners, or office executives who can all easily store a foldup rebounder in a nearby room for easy access and convenience.
18. Has a “triple E” rating—economical, efficient, and effective. A single rebounder can provide years of daily exercise. It is convenient for those who are homebound, unable to jog or access a gym. Great for apartment, home, trailer dwellers or travelers. One can rebound year-round—indoors or outdoors, rain or shine. Six minutes of rebounding equals one mile of jogging. One can run several miles in place while rehearsing a speech, singing, talking on the phone, watching TV, listening to music, or while jumping outdoors enjoying “helio” or sun therapy.
19. Will not incur repetitive motion injuries.
20. An optional stabilizing bar makes this rebounder even more secure for those unsteady on their feet or having disabilities requiring a bar to hold onto while bouncing.¹⁰
22. Movement affects balance. Rebounding has a positive effect on stabilizing right and left hemispheric brain balance.
23. Has positive implications for improving the mind/body connection, especially for learning disabled children exhibiting a poor sense of rhythm, coordination and balance. Medical journalist Dr. Morton Walker notes that when you move and exercise, you engage every brain and body cell. This has a profound and positive impact on stimulating neural activity.¹¹
24. The father of modern aerobics exercise, Dr. Kenneth Cooper, discovered that alternating aerobic exercise with weight training actually increased strength. His Institute of Aerobic Research documented the strength gains from resistive rebounding in 1981.

Additionally, Olympic fitness trainers Dr. & Mrs. H. Sneider (owners of Sneider’s Fitness Center in Pasadena, CA) illustrate a comprehensive fitness program in their book Olympic Trainer. The Sneiders encourage using sand-bag weights for building upper arm strength and endurance.¹²

Rebounding is no stranger to the greater health community. Exercise personality Joanie Greggains notes the importance of rebounding as an effective way to stimulate the lymph system in her book The Fat Flush Fitness Plan (McGraw-Hill.) Greggains’ exercise compendium complements Ann Louise Gittleman’s popular Fat Flush Plan, which advocates rebounding as part of her regimen for maintaining health and a svelte physique.

Reflections For Long-Term Health
As children we are inherently inclined to move from a young age…we crawl, walk, run  and jump. As we transition from childhood to adulthood, we exchange our active and mobile lifestyle for a sedentary and immobile one, where our daily exercise routine is restricted to clicking a computer mouse or the remote control, or depressing the microwave keypad to heat up a prepackaged dinner. We sit at our desk, on our couch, in our car, on a train, in a plane, and expend brain energy without physical movement. Then we wonder why we experience intermittent brain fog and increasing weight gain in unwanted places.

In our high-tech society where everything around us is increasingly automated and demands less physical effort, our lack of movement is increasing our health risks (and abdominal girth!) while negatively affecting our mental acumen. We require high levels of oxygen to think clearly—something sitting cannot accomplish. Movement is vital to circulate the blood that carries oxygen to the brain. The moral: Keep active and take advantage of a simple non-toxic method of exercising that is easy on the budget and beneficial to the entire body.

Given that our nation’s health crisis includes cardiovascular disease, cancer and obesity, let’s find the time to take a few minutes each day to improve our health. What a difference those few moments make in providing us with improved mental and physical well being. Otherwise, we will have to resort to toxic measures to “treat” failing health conditions which could be avoided by taking some preventative measures like rebounding. Why take blood thinners and blood pressure pills when we can avoid the problem by encouraging good circulation?

We all learn what we live as children. Isn’t it time to set the pace for the next generation and encourage everyone to preserve their youthful health, vim and vigor? Why not make our next coffee break a time to jump for health and well being? Let us all “reverse gravity” by exercising daily.

Dr. Wellman is the author of “Psychoneuroendocrinology: Copper Toxicity and Premenstrual Syndrome.” She blends nutritional support with environmental detoxification to achieve wellness.

Footnotes
1. The World’s Only Perfect Food, Royden Brown, Hohm Press, AZ, 1993
2. “Reversing the Aging Process,” Let’s Live Magazine, CA, August, 1976
3. Bee Hive Product Bible, Royden Brown, Avery Publishing Group, Inc., N.Y., 1993
4. ibid.
5. Cancer, A Simple Approach, Linda Brooks, Vitality Yours Press, Ohio, 2002
6. Rebounding to Better Health, Linda Brooks, KE Publishing, NE, 1995
7. Jumping For Health, Dr. Morton Walker, Avery Pub. Group Inc., N.Y., 1989
8. ibid.
9. Cancer, A Simple Approach, Linda Brooks, Vitality Yours Press, Ohio, 2002
10. Rebounding and Your Immune System, Linda Brooks, Vitality Yours, Ohio, 2003
11. Jumping For Health, Dr. Morton Walker, Avery Pub. Group Inc., N.Y., 1989
12. Olympic Trainer, Dr. H. Sneider, Snohomish Pub. Co., WA, 1981

This article was originally published in “Total Health” magazine.