Jumping Rope

Remember back in the day when jump rope was fun? In elementary school our entertainment consisted of a rope, a few friends, and some rhymes - "Cinderella, dressed in yella, went outside to kiss a fella...". What happened to those days? At what point did we put down the rope?

Oh yeah, it's when we grew up and jumping rope became an exercise rather than playtime.

Jump rope has several health benefits. To begin with, jumping rope can burn up to 1000 calories per hour! Now, I know it's not practical to jump for a full hour, but just divide 1000 calories by 60, and that is about 17 calories a minute!


Jump rope can tone muscles throughout the body, conditions your cardiovascular system, improves stamina, coordination and enhances athletic agility.

Another benefit of jump roping is it's inexpensive and portable! You can find jump ropes for as cheap as $8.00. There are multiple kinds of jump ropes: speed ropes, weighted handle ropes, ropes that count your jumps, and more! Also, what piece of exercise equipment is easier to carry around than a jump rope?

Jump rope can be a great way to spend quality time with your children exercising! Grab your children and teach them how to jump rope, making it a family activity.


Check out these websites to buy a jump rope: Walmart, Amazon, Sports Authority


Jump rope is easy to learn. If you can jump, you can teach (or reteach) yourself to jump rope. Let's make jump rope a part of your exercise routine!

Motivation

It's about time for another post, isn't it! For this post, I have shuffled through a few articles and decided for a little "pick me up" edition. I know all of y'all out there are not runners, but this article applies for the walkers as well. I hope this post will spark a little motivation in you...

Running Motivation for Beginners

GET UP AND GO

Lost your resolve to run? Here's how to get motivated. Again.

By Jeff Galloway

Image by Dirk Anschultz /Getty Images

From the March 2010 issue of Runner's World

IT HAPPENS. Filled with New Year's resolutions, you start the year strong, diligently ticking off run after run. But gradually the excitement wears off, you skip a workout here and there, and before you know it, lacing up your running shoes begins to feel like a chore. Don't despair, though: You can find plenty of ways to push through the doldrums, overcome the excuses, and restart your running engines.

YOU FEEL: OUT OF BREATH
BEAT IT: If you can't talk in full sentences, you're going too fast. Run one minute, walk one minute for 10 minutes. Shift to a 2:1 run/ walk ratio for the next 10 minutes. Do whatever you feel like for the final 10 minutes.

YOU FEEL: LIKE STOPPING
BEAT IT: Starting out too fast can lead to a sudden increase in muscle waste products that can make you feel sluggish. Head out slowly—and remember, no pace is too slow.

YOU FEEL: TIME-PRESSED
BEAT IT: Multitask: Run on a treadmill while you're waiting for a meal to cook or the clothes to dry, or run in circles around the playground while the kids play.

YOU FEEL: BORED
BEAT IT: Establish a mission for every run. Run to get a cup of coffee. Do a few accelerations in the middle of your loop. On measured paths or trails, try to run a few seconds faster every mile. Run your regular loop backward, loop through different neighborhoods, or call up a buddy to join you.

YOU FEEL: FRUSTRATED
BEAT IT: Once a week, warm up, then run four laps around a track. Time yourself. Set a goal to beat the time you ran the previous week. Every other week, slow down your longest run and increase the distance by a quarter to a half mile. Watching your mileage add up and your times go down is a great way to gauge your progress.

Juicing

A few months ago, I bought the Jack LaLanne Juicer. I have been wanting one for a while, and finally bought one. This picture is one with me using my juicer for the first time! I know, some people take pictures of their baby walking for the first time, or pictures of other monumental events. I take pictures of simple things that are exciting to me! Like juice from a carrot coming out of the juicer... haha
I wanted to share with whoever reads this blog a few things on juicing. I could ramble on about all of the benefits, but this article pretty much sums it up!

Health Benefits of Juicing

WEBSITE: http://www.bestofjuicing.com/

If you are looking for an easy and effective way to do something good for you body, consider the health benefits of juicing. Juicing is preparing and drinking fruit and vegetable juices, and the many health benefits of juicing far exceed those of eating solid fruits and vegetables.

For one thing, the body can quickly absorb larger amounts of nutrients from juices than from solid foods because the process of digestion that is necessary when you eat whole foods is bypassed. Raw fruits and vegetables contain many substances that enhance health, and juicing benefits the body by providing the most concentrated and readily absorbed source of these substances.

Another one of the major health benefits of juicing is that it is an easy way to get beneficial enzymes, which are primarily found in raw foods, into the body. Enzymes in fresh fruits and vegetables have the vital role of converting food into body tissue and energy. Enzymes are also involved in metabolism, so one of the more valuable health benefits of juicing is that it can increase metabolic rate. Juicing also ensures that the body is getting sufficient amounts of phytochemicals, substances in plants that are considered among the most powerful ways to fight disease. While most people do not eat enough raw fruits and vegetables to obtain the amount of phytochemicals that would make a difference, it is relatively easy to drink enough juice to obtain sufficient amounts of these powerful nutrients. In addition, antioxidants and other immune enhancing properties are concentrated in juices.

Juicing can therefore help to accelerate recovery from illness. In fact, juicing with specific combinations of fruits or vegetables can target particular conditions and improve or alleviate symptoms.

Among the most interesting health benefits of juicing are its anti-aging benefits and its potential for alleviating symptoms of depression. The effects of juicing on depression are accomplished by providing a concentrated source of minerals like magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, and folic acid. Deficiencies of these nutrients are associated with symptoms of depression.

Further, the concentration of antioxidants in juices combats the damaging effects that free radicals have on skin and muscle. Juicing can help keep skin free from wrinkles and muscles well toned. In addition, increasing the intake of antioxidants by juicing can slow the onset of age-related illnesses.

In conjunction with its positive effects on health, the benefits of juicing also include the fact that it is relatively cost effective and convenient, especially if you prepare your own juices. By staying healthy as a result of increasing your intake of fresh juices, you can also reduce the need for expensive medications. Since there are no side effects associated with juicing, you can drink as much juice as you are able to tolerate, thereby maximizing health benefits. There are many tasty combinations of fruits and vegetables, and the variety of juices that can be prepared are likely to keep you in the habit of juicing once you realize the many health benefits that doing so can provide.