Memories of Jumping Rope (aka, a killer cardio workout)

Ever since I took the RealAge test, I’ve been getting the sort-of-daily e-mail updates, and a recent one on jumping rope (or jump-roping, if you prefer) really caught my eye. It catapulted me back to those days of jumping rope on the playground with my little friends, the sing-songy rhymes we chanted and the tricks we tried. I remembered the first time I did a double jump (swing the rope under my feet twice with one jump into the air) and the first time I successfully ran into a rope while my friend ran out and just picked right up jumping without messing up. I remembered jumping in gym class with those horrible plastic-beaded ropes that stung like the worst spanking of your life every time you missed and it slapped your ankles. I remembered raising money for Jump Rope for Heart. I remembered trotting up and down the driveway with my rope, jumping the whole time.

And I wondered why I stopped jumping rope.

Not only is it fun, but as the RealAge alert reminded me, it’s a great cardio workout! It burns TONS of calories, is portable, is cheap, and is easy to learn. So maybe it’s time to go shopping for a new jump rope.

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King