Like many of us, the 2020 lockdown was a wake-up call for Pratul Maheshwari. Maheshwari, 31, based in Mumbai, who weighed 106kg, had a busy schedule involving a lot of travelling, before everything was shut down due to covid-19. The pandemic further increased his anxiety and his doctor had strictly asked him to lose weight to control his life. Going to a gym was not an option. And running made her knees ache. A random YouTube scrolling session led him to a video that promised to lose weight in a month. The only thing he could do was get a jump rope.
“Obviously I didn’t know much about it. But my older brother gave me a cross rope and I started my journey through it. I kept a goal of 1,000 jumps every day and kept it, broken down into sets, for seven months. In the end I managed to lose more than 20 kg. But more than that, I was hooked,” says Maheshwari.
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Skipping rope or skipping rope has been one of the most basic exercises taught in our childhood. Most kids do it as part of their sports curriculum or just to play with friends (remember all those music videos that featured two kids spinning the rope while a third jumped on it, all of them seemingly very happy?) Unfortunately, most of us soon forget about it Or pick it up just once in a blue moon. But here are a few reasons why jumping jacks would be a great workout for you.
It is an excellent cardiovascular exercise that can increase your heart rate. While the number of calories burned depends on the intensity of the exercise (for example, slow jumps vs. fast double jumps), the duration, and the person’s weight, jumping can burn more than 350 calories in just 20 minutes for a 90 kg man.
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While jumping can be an easy way to lose weight, it also helps build your heart health. Moderate intensity jumping jacks help build cardiovascular endurance that can help you in any other sport you choose. Research has shown that jumping also helps improve bone density. A higher bone mineral density makes you less likely to develop osteoporosis later in life.. It’s actually less strenuous on your knees and ankles than many other exercises. However, to get the desired results, you must have the correct shape.
Jumping rope is a plyometric exercise that requires you to be quick on your feet. Here, the muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the aim of increasing power. It requires you to jump at the same time as the rope passes under your feet and therefore also works on your coordination. Obviously, better coordination goes a long way in almost all other sports, and in your daily life as well.
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And if nothing else, this is an exercise you can do anywhere, anytime. You don’t need very expensive equipment (a basic rope can be as cheap as $100) nor does it need a lot of space, just enough for the jump rope to go around it. Are you going on a trip? Carry it in your bag and it will take up less space than your shoes. Can’t find time to go to the gym? Jump for 10 minutes. The simplest exercise should probably be back in our fitness routine now.
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