Hop, Skip, & Jump

It's been too long since I've posted a good workout. The summer heat makes working out hard for me, I get too hot. I am no treadmill runner, I do it when I have to but I prefer running outdoors. As a result of this, I hardly ever run in the summer months. I am sure this will change once I move to Orange County & out of this oven :)

To mix up my cardio, I have decided to start jumping rope! Often overlooked, jumping rope is a low impact (not so hard on the knees as say...running) but extremely effective form of cardio. Not to mention it's fabulously affordable & easy to transport (summer vacations etc.). How many calories does it burn? I found that (for example) if you weigh 110lbs you burn 130calories for every 15min you jump rope. [If you weigh more than 110 you are burning more, and if you weigh less you are burning less.] In Runners World, I read that a woman burns about 91 calories when she runs 1mile at 9:30pace. As you can see it's still effective but a great way to mix it up!

Some Benefits of Jumping Rope

-It does wonders for your agility, posture, balance, reflexes and coordination.
-Helps tone your calves, delts and arms, and (like all cardio) helps burn stomach fat

Now you can, of course, just jump at a consistent pace for your desired workout. (15-30min..whatever)...or you can really get your heart rate up by doing interval sets.

Example: 20 seconds as hard as you can...40 second break.. do that 10 times.

Choose your own work out & mix it up to continually challenge your body & mind.

happy & healthy

Mari