There are a lot of misconceptions about the trampoline-and even when people don’t have misconceptions, they often don’t know much about this amazing piece of equipment. Here are six essential, interesting or fun facts about our favourite way to bounce:

1. Humans have always loved bouncing!

We know this from the Inuit people, who have a very special annual festival where the centrepiece is a trampoline. They’ve been creating trampolines from seal skins for as long as anyone can remember-and with a culture that’s over 4,000 years old, that’s a long time! Their festival is called Nulakataq, which means “to toss up.” Festival participants bounce on the trampoline and toss candy and other goodies to the rest of the guests.

2. Owning a trampoline won’t ruin your garden.

Unlike those kiddie pools that block out sunlight, leaving you with a yellow circle of grass, trampolines are designed to let sunlight through. You needn’t be worried about spoiling your greenery if you do decide to get a trampoline. On the other hand, since that grass will still be perfectly healthy, you’ll still need to mow it! Luckily, trampolines are pretty easy to scoot out of the way.

3. Trampolines aren’t inherently dangerous.

The truth of the matter is that play and moving around are themselves dangerous. Trampolines aren’t inherently dangerous. However, like any exciting sport, they do require that we take safety precautions. Make sure your trampoline remains well maintained. Only purchase from a reputable seller (or visit a reputable trampoline gym or trampoline park) that has adequate safety equipment-covered springs, nets, or padded safety boards to prevent falls. Don’t use a trampoline that suffers from tears or other damage.

4. Trampolining is great exercise!

Trampoline jumping is an excellent way to get great cardio, strength train your legs, strengthen your bones and joints, and strengthen your core. Really, what more could you ask for? How about the benefits of doing strenuous exercise, without feeling like you did? Yep, studies show that trampolines have such a positive effect on mood that you can exercise just as hard as you would at another activity-but feel like you haven’t exerted yourself nearly as much.

5. Trampolines aren’t just toys.

Sure, you get a great workout, but in the end, you can do the same with a basketball-they’re still just essentially toys, right? Well, someone ought to mention that to the space program as well as to the military. Trampolines are considered essential to several different types of training programs. They can help trainees gain better spatial awareness, balance, and coordination under very safe circumstances-skills they’ll need under decidedly less safe circumstances in the future. Does that sound like a toy to you?

6. You’re not too old for a trampoline.

Okay, so trampolines have been around a while, and they’re great exercise, and astronauts use them for training. “But,” you think to yourself, “I’m not an astronaut. Surely people will think it’s silly for me to be trampolining.” Absolutely not! You don’t have to be a kid or a pilot to enjoy all of the many benefits trampolining has to offer.

Everyone, from suburban moms to your favourite celebs, is “jumping” on the trampoline bandwagon… and a quick internet search for a “trampoline park near me” will most likely prove it. You’ll see that many local trampoline parks and gyms have plenty of great options for grownups, including adults-only fitness classes. Who knows, you might even run into a famous face… if Madonna, Julianne Hough, and Victoria Beckham are fans of hopping their way to health, why shouldn’t you be?