Along with rollerblading, running and tae kwon do, jumping rope is one of the best forms of fat-burning exercise there is. It is a strenuous form of exercise, so start slowly and build up gradually if you are a beginner or are not used to this form of activity. Check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise routine.
Fat Burning
Your body needs to burn more calories than it consumes in order to lose weight. It does this by burning the fat that is already stored in the body to make up for the deficit. Reducing your daily calorie intake by 500 results in a loss of about 1 lb. per week, which is a healthy amount for sustained, long-term weight loss, notes MayoClinic.com. You can also achieve this by increasing the amount of calories you burn off through physical activity in proportion to the amount of calories you consume in your diet.
Calories Burned
If you weigh 200 lbs., jumping rope for 1 hour can burn 910 calories. This is more than an hour of football, jogging, high-impact aerobics and singles tennis. For sustainable weight loss, skip for about 15 minutes five days per week and reduce your daily calorie intake by about 300 calories.
Benefits
In addition to helping you lose weight and burn fat, skipping has many other health benefits: it can improve your heart and lung function, increase your bone strength and improve your balance and flexibility. Jumping rope also helps you to strengthen and tone the muscles in your legs, stomach, chest, shoulders, arms and back.
Exercises
A basic jump rope technique involves jumping with both feet, or alternating jumps where you change your lead foot with every revolution of the rope. Once you have mastered these techniques, try lifting your knees higher as you jump or quickening the rope so that you are forced to jump faster. As you improve, criss-cross your feet or land from side to side like boxers do when they train with a rope. In the beginning, aim to complete 30 seconds of jumping followed by a 30-second rest period, then repeat. As your fitness levels improve, build up to rounds of one to three minutes with rests of 30 to 60 seconds in between.
Safety
Ensure that you have a large area in which to swing your rope. A shock-absorbing surface such as a wooden floor, aerobics studio floor, tennis or basketball court is ideal, but if you don't have access to these, make sure that the surface is flat and there are no obstacles in the way.
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