Is Jumping on a Trampoline More Effective Than Jogging?

Staying active is an important facet of a healthy lifestyle, so choosing the most effective mode of exercise can be essential to planning your routine. If you have narrowed your choices down to jogging and trampolining, it may be wise to keep both options open for a cross-training program. But overall, if you have to choose one, using the mini-trampoline -- or rebounding -- may be your most effective choice.

Rebounding burns about 210 calories per 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise if you weigh 150 lbs. Jogging burns approximately 105 calories per mile. Jogging at 4 mph produces the same calorie burn rate. Compared by NASA's Biomechanical Research Division for a study published in "Journal of Applied Physiology" in 1980, both jogging and rebounding produced similar heart rate levels and oxygen consumptions. However, the trampolining produced greater biochemical results with less demand on the heart, making it more efficient than running.

Jogging requires no training or equipment, making it an inexpensive, simple way to get a solid cardiovascular endurance workout. Rebounding, on the other hand, requires a mini-trampoline. Unlike jogging, rebounding also provides strength training benefits, according to "Early Show" fitness contributor Minna Lessig. Additionally, trampolining "activates lymphatic circulation," says Lessig, which helps cleanse your body from impurities and helps your immune system function more efficiently. Both exercises increase cardiovascular endurance, improve circulation and increase bone-density.

Impact to your bones and joints is another factor which makes rebounding more efficient than jogging. According to orthopedic specialist Dr. Justin Klimisch, high-impact exercises like jogging should either be mixed with other activities in a cross-training program to avoid overuse, or swapped for low-impact exercises like trampolining, especially if you are a woman. Klimisch says that women may be six times more likely than men to experience knee injuries from high-impact activities.

Rebounding offers health benefits beyond those that jogging provides, but the best exercise is the one you like better -- that's the one you will stick with. Regular exercise, done with consistency, provides you with weight management, reduced risk of disease, elevated mood, more energy, better sleep and even a more active sex life. Being consistent does not mean doing the same exercise over and over. Dr. Cedric Bryant, the American Council on Exercise's chief science officer, recommends mixing different forms of exercise into your fitness regimen. Instead of choosing between rebounding and jogging, do both.