While more and more people are starting to join gyms in an effort to lose weight and get in shape, this isn't always necessary--you can get a great workout just using your jump rope! This article discusses three ways that you jump rope can be used to improve both your health and the quality of your life. You'll be so happy with the results, you won't want to put the jump rope down!
Weight Loss
One of the most important ways that jumping rope can be used is as a means to achieve weight loss. Before we begin to discover how jumping rope can help you lose weight, it is important to learn how weight loss works. There are 3500 calories in one pound--and therefore, in order to lose one pound of weight per week, you must eliminate 700 calories each day. This can be done in a variety of ways. A person can either try to cut all of these calories out from their diet, they can try to burn off all of the calories through exercise, or they can use some combination of both of these methods. Research has found that people who lose weight and keep it off typically use diet and exercise in order to reach their weight loss goals. Jumping rope for 30 minutes will produce a caloric burn of approximately 300 calories--and therefore, in order to lose one pound per week, you must jump rope for thirty minutes every day and cut out 400 calories from your diet. While this may seem intimidating, it will promote the greatest amount of weight loss in the healthiest manner possible.
Increased Cardiovascular Fitness
Another great benefit of using a jump rope during exercise is increased cardiovascular fitness. Your cardiovascular system involves your heart and the arteries and veins that bring blood and oxygen to and from the heart and the rest of the body--and therefore, by improving the ability of this system to work, you will not only have a greater ability to perform your daily tasks, but you will become less breathless during exercise as well. While strength training can increase muscle tone, it has been found that low to moderate, sustainable exercises such as walking, biking, or jumping rope are the best way to improve the quality of your cardiovascular system. Be sure to consult with your doctor, nurse, or health care provider to make sure that you heart is healthy enough to begin this type of exercise routine.
Muscle Tone
Finally, exercising with a jump rope is a great way to improve the muscle tone in your legs and lower body. After the first day of jumping rope, you may experience some soreness in your legs--this is because the muscles have been working hard enough to cause microtears. These microtears will eventually heal themselves in a few days--and because of this damage and repair, your muscles will be stronger, larger, and more toned than when you started the exercise.
