9 Mind Blowing Health Benefits Of Skipping Ropes That You Probably Didn’t Know
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says “exercise” or “training” ? Gym, I guess. Losing weight and maintaining that shape for most people means going to the gym, lifting weights and running miles on the treadmill. But let me tell you, you can get faster and better results at the comfort of your own home. Yes, this exercise is easy and portable and you only need three things for it, a jumping rope, some free space and motivation. And that exercise is skipping ropes.
Jump rope exercise is one of the most underrated forms of cardio. From 5 year old girls to world class athletes, everyone seems to enjoy this routine. Skipping is a great cardio, aerobic exercise that is cheap, super-convenient and portable. Looking for a way to add fun into your workout routine ? Or, cannot go to the gym because of Covid ? Or, looking to start getting into the habit of exercising ? Skipping is your answer. It’s a fun workout to add creativity to your mundane workout routine. It is super easy to learn and repeat everyday even if you are a beginner and helps you to get into the habit of exercising daily. You can do it anywhere, you just need some free space.
- Burns calories:
Skipping ropes is the BEST tool for weight loss. “It burns more calories than any steady state cardio — from rowing to jogging to cycling and swimming,” says celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels. A 15 min jump rope session burns 200–300 calories which is more than running or biking. It helps you burn face fat and belly fat with the help of a calorie deficit diet, adequate water intake and good sleep. Jumping rope for a period of time involves working of your major muscle groups that creates a lot of heat in your body. To provide this energy you burn a lot of calories to produce the required fuel.
2. Tones muscles in upper and lower body :
Skipping ropes help you get a lean and shredded physique. It is a vigorous- intensity activity that helps in full body strengthening. The movement targets your legs (calves, quads and hamstrings and ankles and feet) and also your core, biceps and shoulders. That is the reason why your legs hurt after the first jump rope session, but eventually you will be conditioned. “It’s a really head to toe engagement the entire time,” says Maggie Mosbarger, a certified personal trainer and instructor. Skipping involves pulling your shoulders back and engaging in a straight, correct form. So it also helps with your posture and makes you look taller.
3. Improves heart rate :
Jump rope is one of the best cardio exercises that contribute to a healthy heart. Jumping for a period of time requires blood and oxygen to be pumped to the working muscles. It increases the heart rate and helps significantly reduce the risk of heart diseases and stroke. Jumping ropes can increase your VO2 max. The higher someone’s VO2 max, the more cardiovascular endurance they have.
4. Improves bone density :
Skipping ropes help you strengthen your bones and increase bone density. As an impact of jumping, the bones are stressed in a healthy manner and the body remodels the bones to become stronger and more dense. Bone density tend to decrease with age. By jumping ropes, you can reduce the risk of osteoporosis and osteomalacia and even injuries. “Jumping rope builds bone density through impact training,” celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels says.
5. Use to help recover from injuries :
Jumping ropes help you activate and strengthen the muscles around your foot and ankles making you less prone to injuries. But it also helps you to recover from injuries. When you are fully aligned and jumping ropes you are engaging your whole body which helps you get back into the exercising routine after an injury or physical trauma. Jumping rope is an effective way to build your overall endurance and strengthen the muscles that you use while running without your joints bearing as much impact. It might feel exhausting but it conditions your body to strive for more and eventually get rid of fatigue.
6. Makes you smarter :
Jump ropes aid in the development of your left and right hemispheres of the brain which enhances spatial awareness, improves reading skills and makes you mentally alert. It can be meditative even though jump ropes are pretty intense. The focus you need to maintain while repeating the cycles of skipping can form as an active, mindful meditation. It helps boost your memory too and improves cognitive functions.
7. Helps you gain balance, agility and coordination :
Jump rope requires top notch coordination and agility and improves your balance. “Jump rope improves coordination by requiring several body parts to communicate in order to complete one movement,” personal trainer Morgan Rees says. Your hands, feet and eyes all need to work together to ensure you swing the rope properly, jump over it at the right time and then repeat the pattern steadily. Jump ropes involve moving from balls of your feet which helps develop good footwork and agility. Jumping ropes boost your balance because you need to have proper balance to maintain center of gravity when you jump and land repeatedly.
8. Improves skin :
Skipping ropes increases your heart rate and boosts blood circulation throughout your body. This helps the skin glow and removes toxins from the body leading to healthy, glowing skin.
9. Easy and affordable :
Jump ropes are easy and fun to learn. They are extremely portable which helps you to do literally anywhere. The only equipment you need is the jumping rope itself and this makes it extremely affordable. Skipping is challenging at first but people tend to learn and get used to it faster than other exercises and enjoy improving their skills.
Anyone can incorporate jump ropes in their routine. However, if you are prone to heart diseases or have knee injuries or are overweight , you should consult a doctor before skipping. You can do skipping just by itself or include it in some routine be it for 10 mins or 30 mins with breaks.
Jump ropes are full body workouts that help you feel energized. Do it for fun or for weight loss. But do it everyday regularly to see results. Happy jumping !!