Jumping Rope at any age!

This week I want to talk a bit more about cardiorespiratory exercises.  Getting your heart rate up and moving that body.  Cardio is what helps strengthen our heart muscle, it burns calories, and helps build up our aerobic capacity (meaning more useful oxygen in muscular system).  You build great endurance thru cardio and will increase your energy levels.

Jumping rope is fun and very inexpensive.  The jump rope I am using cost about $6.00 at Sports Authority.  You can jump rope all year round (with no excuses).  So, you may not enjoy jumping rope, well neither did I. After attending Boot Camp for almost 3 years I learned to like it.  I was awful at it, kept missing my step, rope got tangled on my ankles, I was jumping one foot at a time and getting discourage.  After practice at bootcamp and at home I now enjoy it and must admit am quite good at it.  Listen to a favorite upbeat tune and get into a groove and jump away.(as long as you have no hip,knee, ankle or foot injury it is safe)  It is also great impact exercise in helping maintain your bone's health.

You can either count jumps or go by minutes whatever works best for you and mixing it into a cardio circuit is great fun. Jumping rope is considered high intensity cardio so make sure you are physically ready for a high intensity workout.

other good cardio exercises:  Jumping jacks, running, jogging, fast walking, cycling, rowing, stairclimbing, soccer, tennis, etc. fast moving impact exercise.