Fresh New Fit: Trampolining at SkyZone!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

A few weeks ago, LL posted about a fresh new fit: Trampolines! In her post, she shared an article that said that 10 minutes of trampolining burns as many calories as 30 minutes of running. That's phenomenal! 

So when a friend of mine suggested that we buy a recent Crowd Cut deal (similar to Groupon/Living Social) for 2 hours of jumping at SkyZone Trampoline Park, I couldn't resist! Sign me up! Nothing wrong with a 31 year old spending her Friday night at a trampoline park, right?...Right?

{typical SkyZone court}

Website: http://www.skyzonesports.com

There are two local SkyZone parks. We selected the one in Plymouth, and met there last Friday night at 6:30 for our hour-long session of jumping. The Crowd Cut deal was good for two hours, but upon checking in, we received a voucher to use the second hour at a later date. (Date idea, Dusters???)

After checking in, we were given the option to wear special trampoline shoes or go barefoot. Though the trampoline shoes were a bit funky (funky-looking and a bit funky-smelling) we all decided to opt for the shoes and were glad we did. The floors were kind of dirty, and who knows what sort of fungus may have been lurking around....

{Trampoline shoes. Failed fit?}

Before arriving, a few of us had exchanged texts asking what the right fit was for trampolining, and we decided yoga pants and a t-shirt was a good choice. Other than the special shoes, there wasn't any other special equipment required for our jumping session. 

{Trampoline attire. Love the Rusted Revolver tee, Mrs. B!}

We "warmed" up in the foam pit area. A few of the girls even attempted flips into the foam pit. You girls rock! 

{This girl did all kinds of flips!}

...but I was too chicken for flips. I just jumped.

 {Posing in the foam pit}

After some foam pit jumps, we headed to the main court for some serious cheerleading moves.

Next time I will bring a better camera than just my phone, as the iPhone just doesn't take great action shots. And there were so many great actions shots to be had....Let me tell you, there was some serious jumping action taking place last Friday night. 

And yes, we were the oldest people there.

As for the trampoline as a workout? I think it was definitely a workout. I was pretty sweaty, and my heart rate was elevated. We all had to take multiple water breaks, and were glad we didn't sign up for the full two hour session. One hour of jumping was plenty!

Trampolining was a fresh new fit- one that I'm so glad I did, and one that I will definitely do again! SkyZone does offer fitness classes on the trampoline, and I plan to check out one of those sometime soon.

My word of warning before you try out this fresh new fit? Bring water. Wear the shoes. Be prepared for a bit of a smelly environment (pre-teens might not be wearing deodorant quite yet, if you get my drift) but also be prepared for a unique, fun workout!

Fresh New Fit: Trampoline

By: LL
Last week I posted about Table Tennis as a Fresh New Fit. Another Olympic sport that doesn't get much credit is trampolining. This past summer I caught about an hour of this on TV (not the most exciting sport to watch, but still neat). However, on my flight back to Milwaukee for Thanksgiving, I caught the following article in Spirit Magazine. I was excited to share this as I know that jumping on the trampoline is a favorite activity at my family's Thanksgiving celebration when at my sister's, CJ, house.

JUMP FOR JOY
Somewhere along the line, we adults forgot how to play. So Spirit teamed up with the folks at KEEN footwear to provide tips from kid experts. Here's the final lesson in our series.

The Play Pro
Meet Nolan, a 5-year-old who just can't seem to keep his feet on the ground. Locate your nearest trampoline, then heed his high-flyin' advice: "If the trampoline has a safety net around it, remember to close the entrance when you're inside. Then, bend your knees and start jumping. You should get higher and higher every time you bounce. If a friend is on the trampoline with you, you can use the bounces from his jumps, too - but make sure not to get too close to each other or you'll both fall. When you get tired, just lie down!"

The Plan
Jumping on a trampoline may seem like child's play, but experts assure us that bouncing translates to a great cardio workout. A report published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that 10 minutes on the trampoline provides the aerobic equivalent of 33 minutes of running. It gets better: Trampoline exercises are low-impact, so they're easy on bones and joints. Oh, and jumping engages your core, too.

The Grown-Up Facts
Dr. Stuart Brown of the National Institute for Play explains the science of why trampoline-jumping is so much fun - and so good for you.

• "There is a universal human urge to leap upward. That's what got us to the moon. This impulse particularly strong within kids. By moving your body freely in three-dimensional space, you experience the joy of defying gravity while simultaneously increasing dexterity."
• Nolan is at an age when a lot of brain development is taking place. By jumping on the trampoline, which stimulates the cerebellum, he is only enhancing such growth. And because there are direct connections between the cerebellum and the prefrontal cortex, he is building physical skills as well as cognitive and emotional ones."

Like I said, jumping on the trampoline is a favorite activity at Thanksgiving, and now we know that it is a great way to burn off the calories from the big feast. Here is a quick peek at Dusters out on the trampoline with my nieces at Thanksgiving - having a great time and burning almost as many calories as the Turkey Trot 5k. 

{Dusters with the girls}

{A picture to help you remember the importance of "play" when it comes to exercise}