What piece of exercise equipment is priced under $20.00, doesn’t require you to leave the comfort of your home, and doesn’t hinder you from watching your favorite episode of “Scandal”? The answer: A jump rope!

Jumping rope is one of the most effective exercises that you can do if your desire is to improve your heart’s health and tone multiple parts of your body. In many cases, you can burn more calories jumping rope than you can walking long distances. Best of all, in my opinion, you can jump rope while tuning into to your favorite television show.


Purchasing a jump rope and committing to a jump rope fitness routine is more affordable than purchasing a fitness membership or purchasing a piece of fitness equipment for the home. Whereas a jump rope can cost only a few dollars, an elliptical/treadmill can cost hundreds of dollars. In terms of convenience, jumping rope in the privacy of your own home is easier than having to drive to gym or allocate space in your house for a bulky piece of equipment.

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If you’re still not convinced, then consider this. Let’s say that your favorite television show (i.e. Scandal) is scheduled to come on tonight. You really don’t want to miss the episode because you love watching Olivia Pope “fix” things. However, you know that you really need to “fix” your health by working out. Now, if your fitness routine includes going to the gym, then there’s the possibility that all of the TVs at the gym will be set on other channels. But, if you own a jump rope, the only thing that you have to do is move the coffee table off to the side of the room so that you can “get your jump rope fitness on” while watching “Liv” diffuse another crisis.

Before starting a jump rope routine:

  • Make sure the rope is the right length for your body.  When you stand on the rope and lift it up, the jump rope handles should come up to your arm pits. When they do, you know you’ve got a good length.
  • Don’t go overboard on the first few times you workout with a jump rope.  A good place to start is to jump for 30 seconds and then rest for 15.  Go another 30 seconds and then rest for 15. Once you’ve experimented with a few repetitions of this, you can bump it up to 45 seconds with a 15 second rest, and so on.
  • Since you land on the balls of your feet when jumping and the calves and shins absorb and control the impact, it’s easier on the knees and hips than running, http://health.howstuffworks.com

Take it at your own pace and don’t give up at the first sign of difficulty. And with all of the toning that jumping rope affords, you may even be able to look as fabulous in a suit as Miss Pope does.