Trampoline & menopause
Feb 27, 2025 | Fitness
Menopause & osteoporosis
With menopause, a new period begins in a woman’s life with many changes both in her body and in her mood. One of the key changes is in the area of hormones. During menopause, estrogen levels drop. As estrogen is what mainly protects the bones reduced levels mean a greater risk of bone loss and, by extension, the risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis. One factor that increases this risk is bone structure in women. They are lighter in nature. And so it is women who usually also have the problem of osteoporosis. So we understand that we are more prone to fractures as we enter the age of menopause
Menopause and exercise
But there is also a factor that helps in this process of bone mass loss. According to Myers (2011) around and inside the bones there are osteoblasts and osteoclasts with the former producing new bone and the latter removing existing bone.
Now this process somewhat changes when the bones receive mechanical loads such as during exercise and in particular exercises with weights or exercises that have some impact such as bouncing help more. In this case, the osteoblasts continue to produce bone, but the capacity is reduced.
Therefore, while new bone is being produced, the rate of bone removal changes. The result of this process is denser and more compact bones.
Why is trampoline helping
NASA research found that jumping on a trampoline helped astronauts regain muscle mass and bone density when they returned from space. Based on the above theory now this is understandable. Bouncing creates mechanical loads on the bones and thus reduces the ability of osteoclasts to act. The nice thing about this way of exercising is that while you work on your legs, endurance and bone density this bounce is gentle on the joints and allows you to work on your endurance without putting too much stress on the body
The benefits of bouncing on a trampoline
- Activates the lymphatic system
- Improves balance
- As bouncing puts stress on the bones it helps them get stronger which leads to denser bone mass
- Increases oxygen levels
- It works the whole body and benefits at the cellular level
- Increases feel-good hormones
- Improves reaction time and coordination
- It activates the metabolism
- You feel like a kid again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebound_exercise
