Fitness Exercise: Rope Skipping

Rope skipping or jumping rope has been a playground sensation among children for generations. Nowadays, do you know that many adults are relying on their old childhood hobby to get a quick and easy, yet effective workout? Yes, believe me it is another great fitness exercise that is very popular today for burning calories and conditioning. A simple jump rope can be a very useful fitness tool that in just 10 minutes; you can burn calories from 100 to 160. It is an ideal exercise for a great cardiovascular workout to help develop higher fitness levels. Simply but yet, affordable piece of gym equipment for fitness exercise. Benefits of Jump Rope as an Exercise Like any other cardio exercises, the following are the benefits one can get from rope jumping: 1. Reduces stress and boosts energy 2. Strengthens the heart 3. Strengthens the lungs 4. Encourages rest and a good sleep 5. Strengthens the muscles of the body 6. Helps reduce the risk for diabetes 7. Improves mental health 8. Helps reduce blood pressure 9. Helps lower the incidence of depression and anxiety Choosing the Best Jump Rope Picking the right jump rope is one most important thing to consider. It is best to pick the plastic one because ropes from cloth are just too delicate while the leather one takes you too long to get in. It is also great to consider the weight of the rope itself as it is a great way to help you build strength and stamina while improving your cardio strength. For beginners, one must choose the plastic one before using the weighted jump ropes. It is also very important to consider the ropes length, it is better to pick those which is just right for your height. One-size-fits-all jump ropes are discouraged by fitness trainers. Choosing the Right Surface to Jump Rope Be sure to jump rope with a flat surfaced floor. It is best and encouraged to jump rope with a wood-covered flat surface or better with a carpeted surface. Concrete floored surface and similar surface can easily cause lower body injuries such as shin splints. Only if no such available ideal surface for you to jump rope, it is advisable to place an exercise mat on the floor where you want to jump rope. How to Dress Up for a Jump Rope One must consider wearing comfortable workout clothing and supportive cross-trainers while exercising with a jump rope. A shoe that does not have enough support in the balls of the feet is not a good idea. Tennis or a basketball shoes is ideal. Learn the Ways to Jump Rope and Get in Shape Let us learn the basics in-depth training program using the jump rope. It’s tough to sustain jumping rope for even a straight 15 minutes no matter how good you are at any other fitness exercises, so it’s better to start slow and easy. Jumping rope takes a special skill and good coordination so you need to go slowly as you are making your way to getting used to it. Your ability and coordination along with your cardiac condition will improve quickly with a constant practice. Once your coordination, ability and balance improved; try the five jump rope exercise styles to keep your jump rope workouts a challenge. Try these styles first without the use of the rope to master the movements and once you’re used to it, grab your rope and have a try. Basic Jump~ start with the rope behind you and swing it over your head moving your hands and rope forwards. Jump over the rope with feet together. Reverse Jump~ it’s the opposite or the reverse of the Basic Jump swinging the rope backwards and jumping over it with feet together. Twisting Jump~ the twisting jump is simply just like the basic jump only that you are twisting your body side to side as you are jumping over the rope. Jogging Step Jump~ start as if you are doing the Basic Jump and jump over the rope by not keeping the feet together but instead; switching your feet back and forth as if you are in a jogging motion. Criss-Cross Jump~ start doing this with the Basic Jump and while jumping over the rope, bring your left arm over to cross the right and then bringing it back over. Very Important Tip: Just like with other cardio exercises or fitness exercises, a body warm up and stretching before and after a jump rope exercise session is advised to prevent you from injuries. Now that you know jumping rope is an ideal cardio workout or a fitness exercise that helps develop higher fitness levels and giving you much energy allowing your body to burn fat more effectively, why not let your body have the benefits of this simple, affordable and yet, very effective fitness exercise? Jump start now for a better and healthy you.