A skipping rope is one of the first pieces of fitness equipment we receive as children, masquerading as a simple toy to play with on your own or to use in those traditional playground skipping games with other kids, accompanied by rhythmic songs and chants. Most of us stop skipping when we reach adulthood, but it’s actually an excellent aid to fitness.

Fitness expert, Tom Ward, is a real advocate of including a “jump rope" (as it’s called in the US) in your workout routines for numerous reasons: -

Skipping Improves Your Heart Health

Skipping gets your heart pumping hard. Like any other muscle, your heart needs exercise to make it stronger and more resilient, to minimise the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as angina, heart failure and stroke.

It’s Good For Your Lungs Too

Skipping gets you out of breath and improves your lungs’ capacity to take in oxygen, expel stale air and support the diaphragm.

It Burns Calories

Skipping gets you sweating and burns a serious number of calories.

It makes You Look & Feel Great

Skipping elevates your mood, improves your complexion and gives you a healthy glow.

It’s An Effective All-Over Workout

Skipping gives you a full body workout, activating your legs, arms and core and even has a positive effect on your brain, releasing those happy hormones called endorphins.

It Strengthens Your Ankles

Skipping is highly recommended to strengthen the complex structures in your ankles. It is also a go- to exercise recommended by therapists all over the world for ankle injuries. Skipping makes a fantastic warm up, cool down or intense cardio drill.

A Skipping Rope’s Easily Transported

A skipping rope is cheap, simple, lightweight and portable, so you can do some skipping almost anywhere, at any time.

It Improves Coordination

As you focus on your feet, your brain concentrates on what you’re doing and with practice, as you find your rhythm, you become lighter on your feet and more agile. The more tricks you do with the jump rope, the more conscious and coordinated you become, sharpening your ability to read your auditory and visual perception, improving your balance and your mental acuity.

It Increases Your Bone Density

As we age, our bones become thinner and become more brittle, resulting in potential breaks and falls. Normally, by the time you reach 30 you have achieved peak bone mass. In conjunction with a healthy diet, the repetitive nature of skipping is great for maintaining and increasing done density. Research done by scientist Dr. W Barry from the University of Colorado into the bones of both the elderly and athletes suggests that "silly as it sounds.. to simply jump up and down for as long as the downstairs neighbour will tolerate" is the best way to maintain bone health. In other words, just skip!

With all this in mind, watch Tom’s video, to see how to skip your way to fitness.