Rebounding for Lymphatic Health
/You know that weird aerobics revolution that happened in the late 80's or something? And how one of the ways to "mix it up" in this new field was to use a mini trampoline that could be stored in your living room or office or whatever corner you can shove it in? Yeah. Those mini trampolines are BACK.
But I'm not about to tout the cardiovascular benefits of getting in your daily steady-state aerobic exercise. No, this post is going to be about the wonderful detoxification benefits that come from vertical exercises like jumping.
IMAGE VIA REBOUNDER ZONE
From my previous article, Skin Brushing and Why You Should Do It, you know that your lymph system is responsible for the delivery of disease-fighting white blood cells to various parts of your body and the removal of harmful toxins. However, unlike your circulatory system, there is no pump to stimulate your lymph system. There are various techniques you can use to stimulate your lymph’s movement, including skin brushing, massages, skincare, and exercise.
Exercise is a very important component for lymph care. If you want to stimulate your lymphatic system with exercise, make sure you are doing the best exercises that efficiently stimulate your lymph. Lymph in your body flows vertically; this means horizontally-oriented exercises such as running won’t be as effective as you would like them to be in regards to moving your lymph. Focus on vertically-oriented activities that use the G-Force (force of gravity) such as jumping jacks or bouncing on a trampoline. Jumping on a trampoline, commonly referred to as "rebounding," can have great health benefits that include:
- Increasing your lymph flow during exercise (by 5x in the first 15 minutes) (1)
- Doubling your lymph flow during rest periods (1)
- Detoxifying your body of harmful substances (3)
- Building of bone mass (important for bone disease patients) (2)
- And losing weight. (4)
In this infographic from Rebounder Zone, you can see the all of the positive benefits rebound exercise can provide for your body. Best of all: rebounding is easy, can be performed anywhere you take your trampoline, and can be performed 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
From my personal experience, I've been rebounding daily for about a month now. I only do it for about 10 minutes a day, usually first thing in the morning. I know it doesn't sound like something non-morning people want to do right after rolling out of bed, but I've actually noticed a positive effect on my daily attitude as a result, too. My body loosens up, my mind is more alert, and I'm in a better mood. Because, uh, hello! Jumping on a trampoline!
Health-wise, I've noticed the most benefit from rebounding in the emotional and mental realms. It doesn't take long, it gives you a positive outlook on the day, and you get to bounce around like a kid. However, the detox benefits are also apparent to me. The allergen count in Austin (where I live) has been excruciatingly high recently, and before I started taking health into account, I would suffer terribly from this. Since going paleo, my seasonal allergies have improved immensely. But I would still react when a violent surge in the pollen counts occurred. After implementing lymph care techniques like skin brushing and rebounding, the pollens haven't bothered me at all!
My advice: give this rebounding thing a shot. It's a great way to get yourself moving in a unique (and fun!) way that doesn't feel like exercise. On top of this whole article of health benefits, Rebounder Zone is being generous enough to offer a monetary benefit to rebounding: get 10% off all of their products when you enter the code FLAB2FITNESS when you check out! You won't experience the benefits if you don't start, so give it a go and have some fun while you're at it.
SOURCES
(1) Lane, K., Worsley, D., McKenzie, D. 2005. Sports med 2006. Exercise and the lymphatic system, implications for breast cancer survivors. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200535060-00001#/page-1
(2) Wolff, I., van Croonenborg, J. J., Kemper, H. C. G., Kostense P. J., Twisk, J. W. R. 1999. Osteoporosis international. The effect of exercise training programs on bone mass: a meta- analysis of published controlled trials in pre- and post-menopausal women. Retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s001980050109#page-1
(3) Zimmermann, K. A. March 11, 2016. Live Science. Lymphatic system: facts, functions, & diseases. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/26983-lymphatic-system.html
(4) n.a. 2016. Cabot Health. A sluggish lymphatic system can hinder weight loss efforts. Retrieved from https://www.cabothealth.com.au/sluggish-lymphatic-system-can-hinder-best-weight-loss-efforts/
