Get Physique-a-licious

When I was a little girl, I loved to jump rope.  I never really thought about the impact it had on my cardiovascular system.  I was wanted to be able to jump rope.  I also did not know at the time and did not really care about the benefits it would have on my bones either.  Wow, jump roping is really a great over all exercise.

Now that I am over 40 I still can jump rope, but I can not however jump rope in long increments.  HA!  I find that some people can not jump rope, but used to be able to when they were little.  Funny how we seem to loose alot of coordination the older we get and not continue to do the activities.  People we have to keep moving in order for our muslces to keep working and our bones don’t deteriate.

Jumping rope is unlikely to lead to knee damage since the impact of each jump or step is absorbed by both legs. Jumping rope also helps strengthen the arms and shoulders. This combination of an aerobic workout and coordination-building footwork has made jumping rope a popular form of exercise for athletes, especially boxers and wrestlers. Individuals or groups can participate in the exercise, and learning proper jump rope technique is simple compared to many other athletic activities. The exercise is also appropriate for a wide range of ages and fitness levels. Jumping rope is particularly effective in an aerobic routine combined with other activities, such as walking, biking, or running. 

Here are some other benefits to Jump Roping:

EFFECTIVE
Jumping rope can burn up to 1000 calories per hour, making it one of the most efficient workouts possible. It tones muscles in the entire body, developing long, lean muscles in all major muscle groups, both upper and lower. Jumping rope optimizes cardiovascular conditioning and maximizes athletic skills combining agility, coordination, timing, endurance.

EASY TO LEARN
RopeSport’s innovative training techniques and constant emphasis on “go at your own pace” allows people of different fitness levels and athletic abilities to enjoy the learning process and achieve their own level of success in an environment where they are relaxed and comfortable. Whether people want to simply swing the jump rope from side to side or they want to do double jumps on one leg, they are free to learn.

FUN
Due to the variety of jumps and movements that are taught, even at the beginning level, FreeStyle Jump Roping is fun. It encourages creativity and spontaneity, and gives people flexibility in their workouts.

INEXPENSIVE
Compared to many other popular fitness products flooding the market, Jumping rope is very inexpensive, making it accessible to everyone. (See Products for prices and product descriptions.)

PORTABLE
All you need is a 3’ x 4’ area to jump rope. A living room, backyard, office, or gym are all ideal places to jump rope. Just throw a jump rope in a suitcase, briefcase, backpack, or purse, and you have the “greatest portable workout in existence.” Jumping rope is the perfect exercise for travelers.

GREAT FOR KIDS
There has never been a generic exercise that has gained widespread acceptance among children, but FreeStyle Jump Roping is changing that. FreeStyle Jump Roping is “MTV with a jump rope” and children absolutely love it! With recent studies concluding that children in the United States are far too sedentary, FreeStyle Jump Roping is making a major contribution toward fixing this problem. Not just for the gifted or athletic child, FreeStyle Jump Roping can be learned by all, helping them to increase self-esteem and fitness levels. It’s a great activity that the whole family can do together and get fit!

Take a look at this, I did not know the different techniques to jump roping:

Some of the techniques that can be used when jumping rope are:

Basic jump

This is where both feet are slightly apart and jump at the same time over the rope. Beginners should master this technique first before moving onto more advanced techniques.

Alternate foot jump (speed step)

This style consists of using alternate feet to jump off the ground. This technique can be used to effectively double the number of skips per minute as compared to the above technique.

Criss-cross

This method is similar to the basic jump with the only difference being that while jumping, the left hand goes to the right part of the body and vice versa for the right hand.

Double under

To perform a double under, the participant needs to jump up a bit higher than usual while swinging the rope twice under his feet. It is possible to have the rope swing three times under the feet (triple under). In fact, in competitive jump rope, triples, quadruples (”quads”), and quintuples (”quins”) are not uncommon.

Combination jumps

There are many more difficult jump roping tricks that combine two or more of these techniques to make a single trick. These combinations can also be used in Chinese Wheel, Double Dutch, and Long Rope.

Toad

The toad is a complicated trick where the jumper performs the “Cross” manoeuvre with their leg intersecting the arms.

 Finally, there is competition for jump roping.  Now I have seen some of this competition and it is truly amazing what these kids can do with a jump rope.  Check out these websitesfor more information http://www.usajumprope.org/

http://www.kangarookids.org/competition.html

Do you remember doing the Double Dutch Jump Rope?  So much fun, especially learning how to jump in and jump out without getting whipped by the jump ropes.  HA.

There is also Jump Rope for Heart Organization that the kids do for the school to raise money to help support lifesaving heart and stroke research.  http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2360

I would encourage your kids to get involved with this.  It is a fun way to get them moving and involved in their health.  They will thank you later in life.

Try something different.  Pick up that jump rope and see if you can still do this exercise, it is fun.

“A year from now you’ll wish you had started today.”

refer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_rope

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2360

http://www.usajumprope.org/

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