When you were a kid did you jump rope? Do you remember it being hard? As an elementary school child, I remember it being fun. As a high schooler, I remember a jump rope-a-thon which was killer hard - I think we did five minutes at a time and handed it off to the next person. When you’re little and it’s just for fun, it’s not too hard, and you just stop when you get a little tired. When you’re an adult trying to reach a time or number goal, it’s a lot more difficult.
Jumping rope is great for getting you lean and keeping you lean. Think about boxers who jump rope regularly - most of them are ripped! Let’s look at some not-so-obvious benefits of jumping rope:
- Increases foot awareness and makes you lighter on your feet
- Improves foot and ankle strength while reducing lower leg and foot injuries
- Burns calories big time – can be around 1300 calories per hour
- Improves bone density
- Improves cardiovascular health and breathing efficiency
- Improves brain function and helps you relax
- Requires minimal equipment and can be done anywhere
If you have not jumped rope in a long time, be careful and work your way into it. Begin with 20-60 seconds at time. Two or three times per day would be a good start. Gradually increase your duration as your lower leg muscles get used to the exercise and your cardiovascular strength increases.
Set a goal to jump rope for three to five minutes per day, and I can assure you that your overall fitness will benefit from it. My September 30 Day Challenge for myself is five minutes per day of jumping rope. I began on Sept 2. 4 days so far and this is by far my most difficult challenge. I really hope it gets easier.
My 30-day push challenge has ended. I completed 100 pushups each day for 31 days. My maximum number of pushups without stopping was 70 on Sept. 2. That is my personal best. I can’t recall ever doing that many pushups without stopping. Consistency is the primary key to building strength and endurance. Challenge yourself. IT WORKS!