Skipping is my new activity. Well, not so new; I've been skipping on and off for over 30 years! It's just that I have a new rope, and that does make a difference.
It is in full leather, making it significantly heavier than the PVC one I had been using over the last 10 years or so. This certainly makes me work harder, as I have to use my biceps a little bit more - as I found when I noticed a slight ache in arms afterwards.
I still do the same routine that I have always done - jumps, heel and toe, knee lifts, cross-legs, double jumps. These have tended to help me with running, giving me a spring in my step so that I run more efficiently, and I can run uphill more easily too. Also if I get the balance right, skipping helps to strengthen my ankles.
The great thing about skipping is that I can get a good work-out after just 10 or 15 minutes' jumping. I don't need to travel anywhere to do it; I just need a small patch of dry ground that is reasonably forgiving on the knees and my 8ft length of rope. It beats any gym session.
Given that my new rope is heavier than the previous one, it turns more easily even in windy conditions. So today I was able to get out and do a mini routine despite the brisk breeze. Of course I had to use slightly more force when cutting my various shapes, and that gave more of a workout for my core as well. I can't complain about exercising more muscles. At my age it is always good to engage even more of my body just to avoid that middle age spread!
As I finished my jumping in the playground in the park behind my house, the wind became stronger and the rain came down - very heavily, even torrential. Not even my new robust rope would have been able to handle the monsoon, so it was good timing that I stopped when I did.
No comments:
Post a Comment