Rebounding requires using a trampoline. I like one that comes in a round style about three feet wide with a mesh mat stretched across the top attached to springs around the outside frame of metal. The springs and outside ring are covered with a protective vinyl.

Dr. Paava Airola was asked once if someone with back problems, arthritis or other painful disabilities benefit from rebound exercise? The problem, he said, has always been to find an exercise that doesn’t aggravate the original condition or strain the body in some other way. "The most important advice to back and arthritic sufferers is to approach exercise conservatively. Even the gentlest bounce strengthens body cells, including weak and damaged cells. Special exercises have been devised to avoid jarring and help with healing."

Why choose rebounding as an exercise? Rebounding uses the whole body in the exercise. It works on the cellular level and causes all the cells to physically adjust to a greater demand. It does sound crazy and simple just jumping on a little trampoline. What’s new is our understanding of rebound exercise as a process of "gravitational force overloading" according to Al Carter, author and rebound expert.

"The gravitational force pulling on everything on this earth is vertical. We are subject to gravity and we cannot control it. However, we can control the direction and intensity of the forces of velocity, acceleration and deceleration. That is the purpose of the rebounder. As you stand on the rebounder, every cell in your body is subject to the force of gravity. Something fascinating happens when you start moving up and down. You begin to subject your entire body to the forces of acceleration and deceleration, plus gravity."

Every cell in the body has to adjust to the gravitational pull you create. What effect does this exert on your body? Here are just three Healthy Living Tips:

• At the bottom of the bounce, every cell in your body identifies this pull as being heavier as if you lived on a planet with greater gravity.

• At the top of the bounce, you become weightless for a fraction of a second. All structural stresses and pressures are eliminated from your cells all at once.

• Our cells depend on diffusion of water through their semi-permeable cell membranes to carry oxygen, nutrients, hormones, enzymes into the cell and to flush out waste. This diffusion into and out of each cell increases three fold when bouncing on a rebounder.

Many experts point out that 75% of those who do aerobics or run sustain injuries. With rebounding injuries disappear and people stay with the exercise.

Healthy Living Tip: Stand in the middle of the rebounder moving up and down by using your toes and your calf muscles. Your toes will not leave the mat surface. Al Carter calls this the Health Bounce. He says the Health Bounce is:

1. a good warm-up exercise

2. relieves tension and improves lymphatic, or body fluid circulation

3. helps patients in rehabilitation,

4. assist patients just out of the sick bed (patient needs to hold on to something for balance)

5. stimulates a sense of balance

6. improves vision.

More intense bounces create greater effects. For strengthening abdominal and trunk muscles, try the sitting bounce.

Healthy Living Tip: Sit in a V position, move arms forward and up while bouncing.

What can you expect from rebound exercise? Regardless of age rebound exercise will help these aspects of your life:

1. Balance

2. Tactile & kinesthetic awareness

3. Positive body image

4. Coordination

5. Spacial awareness

6. Timing

7. Rhythm

8. Self-confidence

9. Attention span

10. Behavior

11. Problem solving and positive learning skill

12. Visualization/memory

13 Voluntary muscle action

14. Breathing

15. Endurance

16. Caloric burn

17. Lymphatic circulation

18 Self-esteem

A systemic look at rebounding benefits

The Respiratory System: More vital oxygen is taken into the body through deep breathing—which is essential for good health.

The Cardiovascular System: The heart becomes stronger; resting and working pulse rate reduced. A person can achieve more with less effort, and recover more quickly from exertion. Blood pressure will be reduced or normalize as will levels of cholesterol. Better circulation reduces or eliminates varicose veins. Resistance to fatigue, stress and pain will be greater.

The Lymphatic System: Immunity will improve. Endurance will improve as more oxygen and nutrients are brought to the cells. The body is kept healthier through removal of toxic metabolic waste, trapped blood proteins, cholesterol and bacteria.

The Metabolic System: Rebounding tones the glandular system to balance output of thyroid, pituitary and adrenal glands. Proper function of metabolic, lymphatic and digestive systems is essential for weight control and reducing likelihood of cellulite and obesity.

The Digestive and Eliminative Systems: Correct combinations of and rotation of foods are essential so digestive enzymes can work properly. Efficient absorption can take place once food is digested correctly, and the blood and lymph is moving freely.

The Muscular System: Muscular fitness will be increased because of improved blood and lymphatic circulation. The tone (not the size of muscles) can be enhanced by using hand-held, resistive weights. Rebounding will increase endurance, abdominal strength, balance the back muscles, and reduce fatigue.

The Skeletal System: The jarring effects of floor aerobics and jogging are dramatically reduced with rebounding. Rebounders avoid pulled muscles, shin splints, and tearing or stretching of muscles of the lower leg. This will be better for the feet, ankles, knees, hips and back. Correct muscular and skeletal balance can also help reduce the incidence of headaches.

The Nervous System: Rebounding helps reduce nervousness, worry, angry, stress. By helping the person relax they are able to cope better with tension and anxiety.