Get a Jump on Good Health - The benefits of the humble skipping rope
What do you think of when you think of a jump rope aka the skipping rope?
Is it primary school girls singing rude songs about boys?
Or perhaps it is falling over at a recent circuit class?
Maybe both?
But there is some serious merit in that humble skipping rope.
What other piece of equipment
costs less that a exercise class,
fits in a backpack, handbag or suitcase, and
burns some serious calories?![i]
Benefits of the Skipping Rope
Calorie Burn
Because it is a full-body exercise, it burns calories quick.
Calories are just a measure of energy. Each muscle we move uses energy (i.e. burns calories). The more muscles we use, the more energy we burn (generally).[ii] And the larger muscles usually use more energy than the smaller ones.
Jumping rope sues lots of muscles including your legs (some of the largest muscles in the body). So it is no wonder that it burns calories like a beast![iii]
Helps to Reduce Lower Leg Injuries
Jumping rope (when appropriately built up to) can help to improve the function of the tendons and fascia in our legs and strengthen our leg muscles.[iv]
This can help to protect out legs for other exercises such as running and other sports.
Coordination
Coordination the ability to coordinate our movements. It requires us to combine multiple movements into a single fluid, smooth and efficient movement.[v] As coordination is largely neurological, the best way to improve it is by practicing it in ways such as doing coordination drills. [vi]
Using a skipping rope is one of those ways.
The steady rhythm of skipping can help improve our coordination between our hands, feet and eyes.[vii]
Cardiovascular Fitness
This is often what we think of as being ‘fit’. It is a measure of how well the body copes with extended periods of exercise or how long you can cope with high-intensity activities without getting tired. It shows how well your heart, lungs and muscles work as a team for longer amounts of time.
Your level of cardiovascular fitness is also important for quality of life and long-term health[viii]. High levels of cardiovascular fitness are associated with a lower chance of having high blood pressure and a lower risk of coronary heart disease and dying.[ix][x]
Using a skipping rope at a low intensity at a steady state or building up to high-intensity interval training can help to increase your cardiovascular fitness.
Conclusion
Skipping ropes are portable, cheap, and can improve our fitness, coordination and reduce our risk of injuries. Next week we will look at some ways to use a skipping rope.
[i] https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/skipping-rope-doesnt-skip-workout#1
[ii] https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6395/7-benefits-of-jumping-rope/
[iii] https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6395/7-benefits-of-jumping-rope/
[iv] https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6395/7-benefits-of-jumping-rope/
[v] https://www.pdhpe.net/the-body-in-motion/what-is-the-relationship-between-physical-fitness-training-and-movement-efficiency/skill-related-components-of-physical-fitness/coordination/
[vi] https://www.verywellfit.com/skill-related-fitness-components-4155209
[vii] the ability to coordinate our movements. It requires us to combine multiple movements into a single fluid, smooth and efficient movement.[vii]
[viii] *science direct reference*[viii]
[ix] Sui, X., Sarzynski, M. A., Lee, D. C., Lavie, C. J., Zhang, J., Kokkinos, P. F., ... & Blair, S. N. (2017). Longitudinal patterns of cardiorespiratory fitness predict the development of hypertension among men and women. The American journal of medicine, 130(4), 469-476.
[x] Gander, J. C., Sui, X., Hébert, J. R., Hazlett, L. J., Cai, B., Lavie, C. J., & Blair, S. N. (2015, October). Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with coronary heart disease in asymptomatic men. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 90, No. 10, pp. 1372-1379). Elsevier.
Photo by monkeybusinessimages/iStock / Getty Images
You might be surprised at how many of these are only 10-20 minutes drive away.
But why go hiking in the first place?
Physical Benefits
Hiking is a great, whole body cardio-vascular exercise activity.
It helps to
Strengthen your heart,
Reduce your blood pressure,
Control body weight, and
Improve balance[ii]
Photo by molchanovdmitry/iStock / Getty Images
Additionally helps strengthen our bones and many muscles including your
Butt,
Quads,
Handstrings,
Core,
Hips, and
Calves.[iii]
Hiking up hills can help to get your heart working harder while uneven ground can help to engage your core muscles and improve balance.[iv]
Psychological Benefits
While the physical benefits of hiking are great, the overall benefits can go far further than this. Hiking can help improve you
Mood,
Creativity, and
Your mind.[v]
While exercise is great of the body, hiking also adds the element of nature. As we have looked at earlier, the benefits of exercising in nature are wonderful (The Benefits of Green Exercise)
When compared to exercising indoors, exercising in nature has been found to generate feelings of positive engagement, greater feelings of revitalisation, reduced tension, decreased anger and depression and increased energy.[vi]
Mood
We have already looked at how exercise in general is great for reducing stress. (Exercise can Reduce Your Stress)
Photo by Maridav/iStock / Getty Images
Research has found that people in walk in nature are often less anxious and have less constant worrying thoughts (rumination).[vii][viii] In our busy life of computer and smart phones, we are often bombarded by constant distraction. Hiking in nature helps the mind to recover from this mental fatigue and ‘attention overload”.[ix]
Creativity
Science is just starting to examine the connections between creativity and nature by initial examinations have found hiking can boost creative thinking and problem solving.[x] Some believe that natural settings let our mind wander while others believe it is the unpredictability and spaciousness of nature that encourages creativity.[xi]
Either way, it looks like hiking in nature can really help to boost those creative juices.
Photo by AlexBrylov/iStock / Getty Images
Mind
We have seen how exercise can help us thinking better (Can Exercise Make You Smarter?) One study that followed 2 747 over the course of 25 years found that those who were fitter performed better on tests measuring cognition, memory, processing speed and executive function[xii].
Photo by Devrimb/iStock / Getty Images
Exercise increase oxygen to the brain helping our brains to grow, while improving sleep and reducing anxiety[xiii].
Additionally, hiking requires problem solving the somewhat unpredictable such as
Hidden obstacles,
Overhanging branches,
Uneven ground and
Slippery surfaces.[xiv]
Get Started
So your convinced that hiking is great for you? Here are some tips to get started.
Start slow. Choose an short and/or easy trail and gradually increase the challenge.
Take a friend. This is great for the company but also helps keep you safe.
Where good shoes. This can help reduce the chance of injury (from falls or blisters) and help make it more enjoyable.
Take water. Make sure you stay hydrated along the way.[xv]
Photo by Deagreez/iStock / Getty Images
Have fun!
Get out into nature.
Get fitter.
Get smarter.
Feel great.
Go take a hike!
[i] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[ii] https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/hiking-body-mind
[iii] https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/hiking-body-mind
[iv] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/health-benefits-of-hiking-raise-your-heart-rate-and-your-mood-2016092810414
[v] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[vi] Thompson Coon, J., Boddy, K., Stein, K., Whear, R., Barton, J., & Depledge, M. H. (2011). Does participating in physical activity in outdoor natural environments have a greater effect on physical and mental wellbeing than physical activity indoors? A systematic review. Environmental science & technology, 45(5), 1761-1772.
[vii] Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K. S., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 112(28), 8567-8572.
[viii] Bratman, G. N., Daily, G. C., Levy, B. J., & Gross, J. J. (2015). The benefits of nature experience: Improved affect and cognition. Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 41-50.
[ix] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[x] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[xi] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[xii] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-exercise-benefit-cognition/.
[xiii] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110
[xiv] https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_hiking_is_good_for_you
[xv] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/health-benefits-of-hiking-raise-your-heart-rate-and-your-mood-2016092810414