There are a few things you can invest in to help get you exercise.
Most people think of items like exercise bikes or treadmills for getting exercise.
Something that should be in consideration for exercise is a trampoline.
Overall, a trampoline is more fun, is more cost-effective, is easier to maintain, and is safer for you and your family.
Read on to find out how we came to this conclusion.
Exercise
An exercise bike is a great form of exercise.
It allows you to exercise from the comfort of your own home without much effort.
This means you could wake up in the morning, get dressed to work out, and then walk down to wherever your exercise bike is.
This takes very little effort on your part.
You don’t have to purchase a gym membership, which you probably won’t use anyway, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
MedicalNewsToday.com says:
According to Harvard University, a 155-pound (70.3 kg) person riding a stationary bicycle at a moderate pace for 30 minutes burns 260 calories, while vigorous biking burns 391 calories in the same time.
Indoor stationary biking has several benefits. It may help those who need to schedule their exercise time. Spin classes at the gym, which use stationary bikes, could be a suitable option.
Another reason a person may prefer indoor biking is the time of day they tend to exercise. Biking outdoors when it is dark may be more dangerous.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/calories-burned-biking#stationary-vs-outdoor
So you can burn quite a few calories riding an exercise bike.
If you ride for an hour, you are looking at around 500 calories burned (depending on how much you weigh and how vigorously you ride).
When you bike outside, you run the risk of getting injured.
No matter how much space bikers are given on the road, sometimes cars do stray into the biking lane and you could get hurt.
And some rain might keep you from getting as long of a bike ride as you want.
So an exercise bike is a great option for burning calories.
You also can burn a lot of calories while jumping on a trampoline.
You can burn as much as twice the calories jumping on a trampoline as you would going on a run.
Plus you get to do it outside, which gives you fresh air, which is also good for your body.
So overall, jumping on the trampoline is pretty good for you.
But, riding on the exercise bike is probably a little better for you since you can burn quite a few calories while riding.
Advantage: Exercise bike
Cost
You have many different options for stationary bikes, depending on what you are looking for.
One of the better sellers on Amazon is around $300 and provides a mount for a tablet so you can read or watch videos while you ride.
And the $300 is typically on the cheaper end.
You can also purchase a NordicTrack or Peloton exercise bike, but those will run you around $2,000 to $2,500, depending on who you purchase from.
These are way more expensive but sometimes can come with a television to watch tv or shows.
They might also come with a coach, who will help you find a workout schedule that will help you lose the weight you want to.
But those might be extra depending on what you want to get.
The trampoline also comes with a wide range to choose from in pricing.
The cheaper trampolines typically start around $300 and can get up to $1,000, depending on the size you want.
But a 14-foot trampoline can be the cheapest of the larger trampolines, so you are looking at a pretty good price.
You can also purchase some add-ons to the trampoline, like a basketball hoop, that will make the trampoline more fun.
And these don’t typically cost more than than a hundred dollars or more.
Advantage: Trampoline
Safety
The trampoline and exercise bike both come with their own safety concerns.
There are a few things to worry about with the exercise bike.
First, doing the same motion for an extended period of time can be bad for the limbs that are doing the motion.
With the exercise bike, your legs are doing the same motion over and over again.
This could lead to injury from poor form.
Second, you could also fall off the bike and hurt yourself.
Not to mention if you fall off the bike, your body might get stuck in the wheels or peddles of the exercise bike.
And this could lead to you getting injured even more.
Most of these injuries could be avoided if you give yourself regular breaks while working out instead of trying to do all your workout in one go.
The trampoline has some safety concerns as well.
First, if you aren’t careful on the trampoline, you could end up falling to the ground.
This might happen because of too many flips or if you run into one of your friends, who is also jumping on the trampoline.
Second, if you aren’t careful, then you could end up landing on one of the springs or your leg might go through the spaces between the springs.
And this could lead to you spraining your ankle, or other parts of your body.
Both of these chances of getting hurt could be avoided by purchasing some additional equipment for your trampoline (it might not be added depending on the trampoline you purchase).
This would include buying a safety net and spring cover.
Adding both of these to your trampoline can help you avoid getting hurt.
Advantage: Trampoline
Setup
When you receive your exercise bike, it should be already set up for the most part.
There might be some additional parts that you need to add to the bike.
This could include the seat, handlebars, and any stands your bike needs to go on.
And then adjustments should be made to make sure these parts are set up correctly based on your height.
According to Dicks Sporting Goods:
To adjust your seat to the proper height:
Stand to the side of your exercise bike.
Raise or lower the saddle to your hip level.
You can also raise your knee to a 90-degree angle and bring your saddle to the center of your thigh.
Once you’ve adjusted your exercise bike’s seat position, go ahead and hop in the saddle to check the setting. Place one of your pedals at the lowest level while remaining seated. There should be a slight bend in your knee if you’re sitting at the right height for you.
https://protips.dickssportinggoods.com/sports-and-activities/exercise-and-fitness/how-to-set-up-an-exercise-bike
If you adjust your exercise bike like suggested above, then you should be able to get the most out of your workout.
A trampoline takes quite a bit more to set up.
First, you need to get the pieces out that make the base of your trampoline (should be the rounded parts).
Next, put these pieces together so they make a circle and then screw in the nuts and bolts.
Once you have the base in, then you want to put the legs into the base.
There should be specific areas for you to put the legs in.
When the legs are in, again insert the nuts and bolts and tighten them.
Lastly, you will want to attach the trampoline mat to the base of the trampoline.
This involves getting a spring and attaching the spring to the trampoline mat within the loop provided.
Then attach the other end of the spring to the trampoline base on the hole provided.
Continue this around the trampoline until you inserted a spring into every loop and hole.
And make sure you watch carefully and count correctly to which loops and holes you need to put the springs into.
If you are off by one, then you will have to go back and fix your mistake.
And also make sure you have a spring pull tool handy, as the closer to the end you get, the harder it is going to be to place the spring in the mat and the base.
Then you should be all set.
The exercise bike seems to be quite a bit easier to set up.
Advantage: Exercise bike
Maintenance
According to FitnessMechanic.com:
Stationary Bike Preventive Maintenance Checklist:
Clean covers
Clean frame
Vacuum interior
Clean friction belt
Grease pivots
Check springs
Check cables
Lubricate chains
Check shocks
Check electrical connections
Check handrails
Diagnose errors
https://www.fitnessmechanic.com/stationary-bicycle-maintenance.html
This seems like quite a bit to have to check on an exercise bike.
Of course, you don’t have to do this regularly, but would be good to have it checked out once a year or so.
And if you don’t know how to check these, you could hire a professional or check for some videos online for the best way to check for each.
A trampoline takes a little less maintenance.
For the most part, the things you have to check on a trampoline include the springs, the mat, and the nuts and bolts.
Check the springs to make sure they are not run out or rusted.
If they are rusted, you will notice brown rust all over the spring.
If the spring is run out, then you will notice that the spring is in the extended position and will not spring back to its original position.
In both of these cases, you’ll need to replace the springs.
If the trampoline mat has a hole in it, it is most likely you’ll want to replace the mat.
And make sure the nuts and bolts are screwed in all the way.
If they are not, screw them back in.
Any nuts or bolts that are coming out could lead to someone getting hurt.
So make sure to check all of these things once a month at least, so no one ends up getting injured.
Advantage: Trampoline
Space
The exercise bike takes up a considerable amount less space than the trampoline.
A trampoline starts off by being at least 14 feet wide (again, depending on the size of the trampoline you have).
And you will want to have at least a few feet of space all around the trampoline.
So you could be looking at up to 20 feet of space around the trampoline.
And this could be a considerable amount of space for your front or back yard, depending on where you live.
This may or may not be feasible.
We have known people who have small backyards, but they were still able to fit a trampoline in there and felt safe enough that no one was going to get hurt.
An exercise bike takes up a lot less space.
The exercise bike may be at most 6 feet long, and with a few feet of space all around for safety, you are looking at maybe 12 feet total.
And then when you are done with the exercise bike, you can push it into the corner of the house until you will use it again the next time.
So for space, it seems that the exercise bike takes up a lot less.
Advantage: Exercise bike
Fun Factor
Not many people I know have called exercise bikes fun.
You are typically doing the same motion for a period of time and that doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun.
If you get an exercise bike that comes with a television, this might help you have a bit more fun, but that seems just about it.
A trampoline, on the other hand, is really meant for fun.
You could get a few of your friends and jump on the trampoline for hours without really thinking about it much.
Plus, as mentioned before, you could purchase some add-ons for the trampoline, which could make it so much more fun.
Who wouldn’t want to be shooting hoops while jumping on a trampoline?
Advantage: Trampoline
Summary
An exercise bike is a great option for helping you burn some calories and lose weight.
But if you are looking for something that is more fun, doesn’t take as much maintenance, is safer, and is more cost-effective, then a trampoline is for you.