Jump Rope Or Die
After going to the doctor about my insomnia I was feeling pretty discouraged over my ability to actually make that kind of 
change in my life. There is just no way I can get out to the gym or go running at the end of the day. By the time the kid’s in bed and all my regularly scheduled duties have been performed, it’s 8pm. I’m not leaving the house at that point. So I commenced to researching treadmills when a reader recommended I try jump roping instead. Really I thought, jump roping? I thought I could at least give it a try since the investment was about $6.00 compared to couple thousand dollar commitment with a new treadmill.
Jump roping is seriously high impact so I knew 40 minutes was not going to happen out of the box so I set a manageable goal of 20 minutes. Well at least I thought it was manageable. The first night was the longest 20 minutes of my life. It’s an amazing total body workout. I had no idea how many muscle groups were being worked when you jump rope. Even my upper back and abs were aching the next day. 15 minutes of jump rope equals 60 minutes of a high cardio step class or jogging. Depending on your weight and how fast you are going, that’s burning somewhere around 275-330 calories roughly.
Since starting last week I have lost four pounds. Not just that but I feel better. There were several nights that I just was so not into it but I made myself get up and do it. I’m so glad I did and I actually felt like I had more energy the next day. I think I underestimated exactly how high impact this would be so some new shoes and a good sports bra are a must. After the first session I also added about five minutes of stretching before and after. My Achilles were screaming the first night because I didn’t stretch and warm up properly.
It’s also very difficult to keep the same pace and jump continuously so I kept giving myself 10 second interval breaks where I walked around but didn’t stop moving or sit down. My heart rate stayed up but I was able to rest my arms and legs before I started another set. Does anyone else jump rope for fitness? I would love to hear some long term success stories.
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Tags: Calories, Exercise, fitness, jump rope, NoelRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Weight Loss
6 opinions for Jump Rope Or Die
meielisawy
Apr 27, 2008 at 10:27 am
I would like to try this! The weird thing is, I don’t know where to do it… I live in a Victorian house with wooden floors. Maybe I could go outside? I don’t want to do this in the gym (too embarassing for the first few weeks). Any suggestions?
hairstyle guru
Apr 28, 2008 at 1:42 am
Jumping rope is the best cardio exercise. It’s a fairly low impact exercise and has helped me shed 15 lbs in the last 4 months.
Liberty
Apr 28, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I’ve been wanting to try this as well. And hearing your results, Noel, as well as hairstyle guru’s, I’m there!
But not tonight… ;)
Anyone know if there is a workout video for this??
Noel
Apr 29, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Meieli- You know I had the same problem. I just put down a yoga mat in my sunroom and went to it. I was afraid I might jump through the floor but I hope our house can support my jumping LOL
Lib, I think there are a few believe it or not. RopeSport has some great videos but since I cant workout near a TV I just winged it. I made a mix for my Mp3 player with fast songs and broke the workout into sets of ten. It made it more manageable mentally. I also switched it up with different kinds of jumping or just swinging the ropes from side to side while jumping.
Patrick Darnell
May 1, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I am truly thinking it is time to go over to Sam’s Club and get a Trampoline. A big 13 foot one, for us and the kids. It’s called the “Skywalker” Combo, for $388.
IN our own back yard, we then could jump and jump to warm up, until the cows come home. And with the aerial acts we can get a pogo stick, and jump ropes… all healthy home stuff. The only problem is the liability, like a swimming pool it can only be used by us… maybe some sort of swing from a tall tree… etc.
Sounds good there, Noel…
Lesa
May 5, 2008 at 2:22 am
This has definitely inspired me! Thank you Noel!
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