Benefits of Juggling

Here are just a few of the reasons that juggling is the ultimate exercise! Click on any of the benefits of juggling to learn more.

Juggling is a truly portable workout.
It makes you smarter.
It sharpens focus & concentration.
Juggling is the ultimate in stress relief.
It’s an exercise that doesn’t ‘feel’ like exercise.
You can juggle where you are, no travel required!
Juggling maintains and increases range of motion in the arms and shoulders.
It is one of the best ways to improve coordination.
Juggling is beneficial for all age groups and body types.
Helps ward off cravings.
Juggling makes exercising with family and friends easy.

Juggling is a truly portable workout

The equipment required for juggling is minimal and portable. Juggling scarves or balls fit into your purse, briefcase, backpack or luggage. And you can juggle in large or small spaces. This makes it the perfect exercise for business travelers, or anyone who finds themselves on the road- touring musicians, athletes, adventurers, campers, etc. Juggling is aerobic exercise, as long as you remember to BREATHE while doing it! It may be one of the few (or only) aerobic exercises you can do in a tiny space. You don’t even need floor space if you juggle over a bed or couch! back to top

It makes you smarter

Yes, it’s true – juggling has been proven to increase the amount of gray matter in the brain (Nature magazine, volume 427, Jan. 2004). One study even found that it did this in just 7 days! Research also suggests it may prevent Alzheimer’s disease, making it a great choice for brain fitness. When you juggle, you’re not only burning calories, toning your body and strengthening your core, you’re exercising your mind as well. This is why there’s no need to worry about how long it takes you to learn how to juggle – you’re still burning calories and boosting your brainpower. In fact, the longer it takes you to learn, the more you are exercising your mind! back to top

Juggling sharpens focus & concentration

Juggling engages your problem-solving skills. You can’t just throw all the balls up in the air and hope everything comes together! This is why juggling is excellent for helping you master the art of concentration. The intense focus required for juggling can filter into other areas of your life that require the same type of close attention. back to top

Juggling is the ultimate in stress relief

When you are learning to juggle, you are immediately absorbed in the activity. It’s almost impossible to think of anything but the task at hand. This makes it a great way to escape any worries, stress, hardships, or anything that might be hanging over your head.

Say you are overwhelmed with so much at work that you can barely think straight. If you pick up the juggling balls or scarves for as little as 5 minutes and practice, you will clear your mind and be able to tackle your job with more clarity and focus.

This effect is truly amazing. JuggleFit classes open with some discussion on juggling. Usually we can tell that some of the students are still thinking about the traffic jam they encountered on the drive in, or the grocery list they must fill after the class. But the minute we hand out those juggling scarves and begin to teach, every student is fully absorbed in the moment. We ask them if they are able to think about anything else, and they laugh and say ‘no way’!

Juggling truly is one of the quickest ways to take your mind off something, which makes it the perfect form stress relief. back to top

It doesn’t feel like exercise

Many people are surprised to find out that juggling is exercise, and that is burns 280 calories per hour, much like walking. This is probably because it is so very different from running on a treadmill, lifting weights, or doing crunches or pushups. Simply put, these exercises do not make you laugh, and they are not usually entertaining to watch, unless you are attending bodybuilding competitions or the like. But juggling definitely makes you laugh, and is entertaining for others to watch, even if you are just learning! What other exercise has that effect? At JuggleFit classes, we always look forward to that first wave of laughter when everyone first tries to juggle. back to top

You can juggle where you are, no travel required!

Let’s face it, sometimes hitting the gym or going for that long run seems like an impossible wall to climb. Our bodies need a break from exercise, this is normal. Have you ever driven to the gym, started to workout, and then realized your body was not up to it? Juggling is especially great for those times you may not be feeling up to a workout. It requires no time investment – you don’t have to spend money on gas to drive to the gym, or waste that 15 minutes getting to the running trail. You can just pick up the balls and start to juggle. If your body is truly not up for exercise, you can just stop and there you are. No wasted time or gas money! back to top

Juggling maintains and increases range of motion in the arms and shoulders

Juggling utilizes body mechanics in which we normally do not engage. It’s great to move the body in new ways to maintain range of motion. The expression ‘use it or lose it’ applies here. Juggling lubricates the joints in the arms and shoulders, and keeps them from getting creaky as we age! That also makes juggling a great form of senior fitness for the same reason. back to top

Juggling is one of the best ways to improve coordination

Many people say they can’t juggle because they are too uncoordinated. Nine times out of ten, the people that say that are the first ones in the class to be able to juggle, no joke!

Even if you are truly uncoordinated, that’s even more reason to add juggling to your fitness routine (check out this study). Better coordination will make your daily activities easier and help prevent trips and falls ( especially important for senior fitness). No one is able to juggle out of the womb. It takes practice! Remember that the act of learning how to juggle still burns calories, tones your body and boosts your brainpower.

You don’t often hear about coordination as an essential element of overall fitness, but it is. And this is very interesting – JuggleFit has taught many athletes how to juggle, and they usually learn very quickly. Many are juggling balls in under 5 minutes. This makes perfect sense. Someone that must connect a racquet to ball, catch or hit a speeding baseball, or shoot into a basket for a living has developed a high level of coordination. As a result, juggling comes easy. This is not to say that coordinated athletes cannot benefit from juggling – quite the contrary. By learning more challenging juggling patterns and moves, they can take their coordination to even higher levels. There is no ceiling with juggling – there will always be something even the best juggler in the world cannot do! back to top

Juggling is beneficial for all age groups and body types

As mentioned in the above section, professional athletes can and do benefit from juggling. Sedentary people, even those that have trouble walking from lack of activity, can also benefit from juggling. One can even learn to juggle while sitting down.

The great thing about juggling, is that it’s gentle exercise that is not stressful on the joints. It’s a no-impact workout. This also makes it a great senior fitness activity. JuggleFit has taught people in their seventies how to juggle. Seniors often comment on how they feel juggling can truly help them stay active and maintain their mental and physical health.

One of JuggleFit’s many memorable experiences was teaching an elderly man with Parkinson’s disease to juggle. We had no idea he had Parkinson’s until after the class when his wife mentioned it. He was juggling up a storm with the scarves! back to top

It helps ward off cravings

Food Cravings

Ever hit that afternoon ‘slump’ where you are not really hungry but eat an unhealthy snack anyway? Juggling for just a few minutes can take your mind off that craving and give you a burst of energy to combat the need for chocolate, soda, or other food! Try reaching for the juggling balls instead of the snack – they may just knock out that craving. Plus, there is no risk of a sugar crash later on!

Smoking

Many smokers have remarked on how JuggleFit has helped them quit smoking! Just like with food, juggling diverts your mind from the craving and absorbs you completely in the activity. And if you are trying to quit smoking and are worried about gaining weight, juggling will also burn calories – what a bonus! So next time you crave a cigarette, reach for the juggling balls instead and see if you can knock out that craving! You can learn more about using juggling to quit smoking here. back to top

Juggling makes exercising with family & friends easy

Juggling is the perfect way for a family to exercise together, because everyone can workout at their own level. As parents juggle for exercise, young children can be entertained just by watching. They can also help out with picking up dropped scarves or balls. As children reach grade school age, they can start to pick up juggling. Parents can teach their children to juggle and incorporate it as a regular family exercise activity. Same goes for you grandparents too! How cool will your grandchildren think it is that you taught them how to juggle?!

Juggling a fun exercise to do with friends. People can share new juggling moves they have learned, help each other troubleshoot problems with their juggling, and even pass balls with each other. It’s also an excellent team-building activity for and organization, because it gets people laughing together! back to top

Click here to learn how to juggle from JuggleFit Trainer Heather Wolf