Name one exercise that torches calories, tones every single muscle in your body and that you can do anywhere and at any time and that doesn’t require expensive equipment or clothing.
Give up?
It’s jumping rope!
It’s no longer the property of boxers or martial artists and it’s not relegated to the playground anymore.
What was once child’s play is now being seen for the amazing exercise that it really is.
Research has shown that jumping rope can burn up to as many as 1,000 calories an hour. A lower but perhaps less mind-boggling estimate is 10 calories per minutes.
Let me put that in perspective.
You can run a mile and burn approximately 100 calories in about 10 minutes or you can spend 6 minutes jumping rope and burn the same 100 calories.
Jumping rope is a huge calorie burner, can save you time and chances are, you already know how to do it.
It is a simple exercise that only requires you to move your arms and jump- all at the same time- so even a person just beginning to exercise can do it.
This helps you to build upon your coordination, your balance and your agility.
You can easily learn how to coordinate your arms and legs so that the rope keeps moving. Your balance will improve as your coordination improves and your agility is a side benefit of jumping rope.
That is why so many athletes are turning to a simple jump rope.
All of this and you are still only using your own body and a fancy piece of rope.
There are no special rules to learn and no special shoes you’ll need to buy. What makes this exercise even more appealing is that you can do it anywhere. As long as you have enough ceiling clearance for the rope, you can be in your basement, in your garage, in a hotel room, at a gym or even outside.
There are not many limitations to jump roping. Because there are not a lot of limitations, there is the side benefit of your not being able to make any excuses to exercise. This is helpful for when you are trying to stick to an exercise program but find it hard to maintain motivation or consistency.
You can no longer blame the weather or not having the necessary equipment.
Trust me, that’s a good thing.
More importantly, jumping rope can be a lot of fun. It can make you feel like a kid again and forget that you are even exercising. All this does is help you to take the “work” out of working out and helps the body to release the happy endorphins. When you have fun, it makes you want to continue doing what you’re doing.
Exercise and fun beget more exercise and fun.
And as you’re having fun, you are working every single muscle in your body. Your legs, hips, abdominals and lower back are responsible for your jumping. Your back, chest, arms and shoulders are responsible for the rope to keep moving.
Put those halves together and you get a calorie torching, muscle toning powerhouse that can be done anywhere.
As you get stronger, you’ll be able to move faster and move longer. Not only will your muscles benefit, but also your heart and lungs, also known as your cardiovascular system.
The stronger your heart and lungs, the better your cardiovascular endurance and the better you’ll be able to sustain not only exercise, but also work and play.
The final piece to this puzzle is also one of the most surprising.
Jumping rope is an exercise that requires a bit of impact, although less than running. Because of this impact, the muscles, joints and bones are affected in a positive way.
We already know that the muscles will get stronger, but did you know that jumping rope can also have a positive effect on your bone density?
The jumping motion stresses both the joints and the bones forcing them to become stronger. As they become stronger, your bone mineral density has no choice but to positively improve.
Sounds like a win-win now matter how you look at it.
Here is a summary of the health benefits of jumping rope:
1. Burns off a substantial amount of calories in a short amount of time
2. Simple exercise; doesn’t require a lot of skill; Can be done by a beginner
3. Fun & releases endorphins
4. Portable so it can be done while traveling, or during any type of weather- no excuses exercise
5. Works out every single muscle in your body- upper body, lower body, abdominals and lower back
6. Improves your heart and lung functioning- cardiovascular improvement
7. Can be useful in maintaining or improving bone mineral density
8. Helps to improve endurance, balance, coordination and agility
