Monday, January 5, 2009

How I Changed My Life With My Children's Trampoline

By Jane Bracken

I thought my husband was insane last year, when he said we needed a trampoline. Our sons are young, and their age was a concern for me. However, once the trampoline arrived, I saw that he was right. The boys loved it.

Then, they convinced me to get on it as well. Here I was, an over 35 year old out of shape Mother, jumping on a trampoline for the first time in my life. There were times when I thought I had lost my mind completely, but seeing how much fun my sons were having jumping with me pushed all negative thoughts away. Never mind that this was supposed to be my children's trampoline- it was now a family trampoline!

Before long, we were spending an increased amount of time on the trampoline every day. In a relatively short period of time, I noticed my health was beginning to improve. I had gotten out of shape once I had children, and it was hard to watch my muscles soften up. Seeing how the trampoline helped tone me back up was very exciting to me.

The time we spent on the trampoline grew longer each day, until the children and I would be up there bouncing away for over an hour at a time. It was fantastic! Not only did the activity wear my sons out a bit, but they too were growing stronger and healthier.

I think Iam the one who benefited the most however. My legs got so toned that I was able to start working with horses again. In addition, I lost all the extra weight that had stayed on long after the boys were born. It was now much easier to keep up with the boys. And the best part was that I lost so much weight, I had to buy all new clothes!

My sister found it quite amusing that I had begun exercising so much on the trampoline we supposedly bought for the children. She has never tried it, though, so she canat possibly know how much fun it is. I have told her that until she tries it, she shouldnat make fun of me.

Our trampoline is still in good shape, but I have recently thought about upgrading to a bigger one. The boys are getting bigger and starting to outgrow this one, and some of the newer ones come in rectangular shapes, which have more room to learn some tricks. Sounds like a blast!

If you think someone whoas 35 canat learn how to use a trampoline, youare dead wrong. I would recommend this type of exercise to anyone looking for an easy way to improve their health and have fun at the same time. You can get all the benefits of a cardio workout while relieving stress and building muscle. Just ask my family what a great idea this can be! - 16003

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