It is summer and my kids still prefer to be inside! In MN even! What to do? My wife came up with a creative plan, “let’s get a pool or maybe a trampoline.”

I thought, “We needed to act quickly while the options were still at two!” A trampoline it is! No pool, no way!

So the trampoline arrived while I was out for a few hours, my wife being her usual, ambitious self, didn’t wait for me. She decided to set it up herself (not an easy task for anyone)…an ambitious person to say the least!

So this big, blue thing has been sitting in our backyard for two weeks, getting a daily pounding from the kids. Hmmm….maybe we can take this to the next level? How hard can this be?

I want to see what kind of physical benefit one could get from bouncing on a trampoline for 30 minutes?

With the help of the kids and my trusty HR monitor, we decided to make the exercise a family fun event. We would play 3 games:

1) Crack the Egg- Object, the kids are lying down holding knees to chest and I would bounce high and hard for 10 minutes trying to get them to release their legs. Results :Tightness in the calves and butt started at about 9 minutes. Heart rate was in zone 3 towards the 10 minute mark, 115 calories burned!

1 minute standing break, water.

2) Flip the Pancake- Object, the kids would lie on their backs and I would continue to bounce for 10 minutes attempting to flip them over. Simple huh? NOT! Results: The calves, back up the legs and butt were starting to burn. My heart rate hit zone 3 at 3 minutes and continued to climb and finally hit zone 4 at the 10 minute mark. 155 additional calories burned + previous 115= 270

1 minute standing break, water

3) Hot Potato- With a volleyball now joining us, the kids and I would bounce 10 minutes while avoiding the ball. Results: The burn was intense in the calves, back of the legs, and butt. Hit Zone 4 at the two minute mark, unable to speak in sentences, while my kids were laughing and having a “jolly” time! 170 additional calories burned + previous combined 270 = 440 calories burned!

Results…sweat, exhausted, 440 calories burned and today a sore glutamous maximus (butt), and calves. Most of all a fulfilling, fun time with the kids.

Obviously results will vary and not everybody has a trampoline, just another day to keep active and have fun with the kids :)!

I did some research and found an article Bouncing for Health that explains the benefits of bouncing.

Give it a try…bouncing can be fun and intense!