Energetics mini-trampoline

I have a confession to make - I LOVE my mini-trampoline.

I bought it a couple of weeks ago in a fit of pique after a cold, wet spring and summer had enforcedly kept me indoors much of the time. For the past few years, it's been my habit to walk the dog for at least an hour each morning, but the bad weather had rather forced me out of the habit. Like many people, I also sometimes find it hard to find the time to devote a full hour to walking - especially as I already do 40 minutes of yoga every day. 

The mini-trampoline is absolutely brilliant cardio for those days when you've only got 10 or 15 minutes to spare. The effort you have to expend bouncing on this thing means it's highly effective exercise, so you don't have to do quite so much of it. The programme that came with my trampoline outlines a 15-minute workout that will have your face flushed and your heart racing, and the next day, your calf muscles will know all about it. Bouncing is also great fun - it makes you feel like a kid again - and things like walking or jogging on the spot somehow seem a lot less ludicrous when you're doing them on a trampoline. 

My trampoline is by Energetics, bought from the Intersport range of sports shops, but there are many other makes available. Look for a sturdy build (it should feel heavy when you pick it up) and, if I was buying a second time, I'd go for the 120cm (about 4ft) model, rather than the 90cm one I bought. As part of your programme, you do have to bounce in a starfish position, so it helps if the trampoline is a quite wide.

Final advantages include the fact that it's cheap (see below) and takes up hardly any space compared with, say, a treadmill. I keep mine under the bed with the yoga mat, so it's completely unobtrusive. You can also bounce in pretty much any room in the house, although I'm fairly sure my DH would rather I didn't do it in our bedroom, right above his workstation!

Energetic mini-trampoline: 35 euros for 90cm or 45 euros for 120cm from Intersport.