Part of life’s puzzle is staying fit.  It used to be almost impossible not to be fit.  All the activities of daily living required physical work. No longer.

Today, most of us don’t expend physical labor to survive.  Even manual jobs, thankfully, are much less physically demanding.  However, our health still requires physical activity, so today we need to plan for it.  I look for things that are effective, readily doable and, ideally, fun.  Recently, I’m taking a second look at an old time activity I hadn’t considered since I was a kid – jumping rope. 

Until recently,  my main association with jumping rope was playgrounds and boxers of the 50’s and 60’s.  You don’t really see kids jumping rope in the school yards much anymore, and I had assumed athletes had moved on to other training methods.  Then I read about Buddy Lee. 

 Buddy is a 10 time world gold metal wrestlng champion, and an advocate of jump rope training.  He argues convincingly about its ability to develop reflexes, coordination and endurance.  This video of a contemporary jump rope work out might show you why:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbtaUaVm5Po

You can also do a search for Buddy Lee to find some of his extreme demonstrations.

Leaving aside the extreme, I’ve started jumping rope and find a lot to like.  The basic move is simple and the equipment is minimal.  I like its portability and its flexibility. 

A few weeks ago, I traveled to a meeting in Florida.  It was easy to pack a jumprope and I was assured of having at least one workout activity without even leaving my room.

When I spend time doing desk work, I like to get up and move around every so often.  Having a jump rope handy has been a great diversion. It’s easy to do and a lot more active than walking around and stretching.

Consider giving t a try.

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