Skip To My "Lu"

Recently, one of my colleagues inspired me to start jumping rope. You know that exercise that 8-year-old girls enjoy? Well, I'm officially an 8-year-old girl. =) I don't like treadmills or stationary bikes. So, this is a great alternative. In addition, my calves are always a weak point, so this helps me out. I started last week. I could only do 50 at first, but after a few days I'm up to 200. The human body has amazing adaptation abilities.

This "calories burned calculator" reveals that I burn around 140 calories in just 10 minutes of rope jumping. According to Men's Health magazine, 10 minutes of jumping rope is the equivalent of 30 minutes of jogging. I'm not a fan of jogging, so that sounds wonderful. If you jump fast, you can burn 1,000 calories an hour.

From Men's Health:

Balance

Your weight is on the balls of your feet, your knees slightly bent. Don't jump more than an inch. Keep your body upright, eyes front, and elbows close, and make small circles with your wrists.

The Jump

It's just a slight push, but it comes from the ankles, calves, knees, and hips. Push through the floor with the balls of your feet and point your toes downward as you lift off.

The Landing

Land softly by spreading the impact through your ankles, knees, and hips. Contact with the ground should be as brief as possible, your heels never touching the ground. Don't double bounce. That's too easy.

The Alternate Step

Jump with one foot. On the second turn of the rope, switch feet. Continue alternating feet (as if jogging in place) at a slow pace until you establish a comfortable rhythm. Lift your knees forward without kicking backward, which can cause your foot to catch on the rope.

A Program

With the basic bounce or alternate step, start with 10 sets of 10 jumps. Increase the number of jumps by 10 per set until you reach 100 jumps nonstop. Gradually work toward 5 to 10 minutes of continuous jumping.


Honestly, I like to imagine I'm Ali while I'm exercising.
I've already lost 500 grams (1 lb.) from this exercise.