Have you stopped exercising on a regular basis because an injury or illness has left sapped your energy and endurance? Are you desperate for a way to start rebuilding your muscle strength while also working to lose weight, but can't handle the high cost of a physical trainer, or the impact of most gym machinery? Many people have found themselves in this same position, and the unexpected solution has often turned out to be jumping on a trampoline. You might think of these structures as mere children's toys, but they've actually been shown to have considerable health benefits.

If you've never thought about using a trampoline as your own personal workout center, it might be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the different types of jumping structures and their respective uses. The most common kind of trampoline, the small, shallow styles that many children play with at school, is actually called a rebounder. This design is perfect if you want to take advantage of the health benefits of the trampoline, without committing your entire yard to the larger models. If you want to take full advantage of the workout that jumping on a trampoline can provide, getting a full size model equipped with trampoline mats and enclosures is the way to go.

The most important health benefit of jumping on a trampoline is the cardiovascular stimulation. When you're bouncing up and down, using your muscles to propel yourself into the air, or bending and stretching on the trampoline's elastic surface, you'll be breathing deeply, increasing your heart rate and blood flow. You might even break a sweat, which is something that's all too easy to avoid in today's sedentary lifestyle. Cardiovascular workouts are the best way to reduce your body fat as well.

Another important health benefit of jumping on a trampoline is the strength workout that you'll be giving your muscles. Because the trampoline springs provide a great deal of resistance (i.e. they're pushing back against your weight) just walking and bouncing around is actually a workout for the muscles in your legs. When you start working on jumping as high as possible, your core muscles will also be given a workout because they are how you stay balance and coordinate your landings and takeoffs. As you become more confident on the structure, you'll be able to incorporate tuck jumps and jumping jacks, which work out even more muscle groups at once.