The benefits of jumping rope can help improve coordination and balance, increase your heart rate and help burn calories – and it's an easy and affordable way to get in some cardio. Jumping rope is a great cardiovascular exercise, and can be used to complement a strength training program.

There’s a good chance you spent some time jumping rope as a kid, whether at home, in the backyard with your siblings, or on the playground at school with your friends… and it was probably such a fun activity that you didn’t even realize it was a good way to get some exercise. However, today, as an adult focused on a healthy lifestyle, you may want to bring back this old childhood game to help achieve your fitness, health and wellness goals.

Ready to grab a rope and start jumping? So here's how jumping rope can benefit you: Benefits of jumping rope 1- Increases heart rate Jumping rope can be a good form of cardio, which increases your heart rate and can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Depending on how fast you jump rope, this will involve more anaerobic cardiovascular exercise because we use our hands and feet to jump rope. This means it is a short, quick form of high-intensity exercise where our body uses the fuel stored in the muscles for energy, unlike aerobic exercise.

2- Burns calories And when your heart rate increases, you also burn more calories. So how many calories? Although it depends on the pace used, on average, it is possible to burn around 100 calories by jumping rope for 10 minutes. Can you lose weight by skipping rope? Yes, as part of a complete exercise program and a healthy diet, jumping rope can help with weight loss.

3- Improves coordination and balance Studies have shown that skipping rope regularly can improve balance and coordination: You have to be able to time the rope as it moves around you and when you are going to jump, so there has to be a bit of coordination between your hands and feet to be able to “tell your brain when to jump”.
Additionally, as we age, we tend to lose our sense of coordination and balance, so it's also a good idea to ensure that we're slowing down the aging process as best we can.

4- It can increase bone density Our bone density decreases with age. However, jumping rope may help keep your bones stronger, according to several studies. Since jumping rope is a load-bearing activity, the small impact or stress caused by landing after a jump helps strengthen your bones.

5- It's easy to do All you need is a rope and you can jump rope almost anywhere, which is a great option for wherever you are or even on the go. For those who like to exercise at home and don't have a treadmill or elliptical, this is an excellent option.

6- It can help improve your mental health Did we mention it’s fun? With cardiovascular exercise in general, there is an increase in serotonin, which can help in the treatment of depression. So how often should you jump rope?
You can jump rope two or three days a week. It should be part of the plan to get the 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity recommended by the World Health Organization. How long you jump rope for each session is up to you. You may only be able to do 30 seconds at a time – and that’s okay. Later accumulate longer periods. An example: jump for 60 seconds, rest for 30 seconds.
Repeat the sequence 10x.

Regardless of how long you jump, it's important to do it correctly.
To make sure your jump rope is the right length, do the following: Stand in the center of the rope and each end should reach your armpit.
When jumping, bend your knees slightly and keep your arms close to your body.
Try to keep your shoulders and neck relaxed – avoid hunching your shoulders. Movement should occur primarily at the wrists. When making contact with the ground, make sure it is done smoothly.
And while jumping rope may seem like a simple task, like most forms of exercise, you can get hurt. It is important to gradually increase the intensity and duration of jumping rope. Before jumping rope for the first time, try jumping back and forth for a few minutes first.

Another suggestion is to use cordless ropes with weights on the ends, which are excellent for preventing tripping and falling, thus reducing the risk of injury.

Then? Ready to get into the swing of things to improve your coordination, burn calories and get your heart rate up?

Rope  jump can be a fun way to boost your fitness and health goals or even change up your workouts.


Article adapted from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/jump-rope-benefits Photo used: Designed by Freepik (Image by Holiak) www.freepik.com