I’ve decided to learn how to jump rope.
My daughter Rya has sent me a new, state of the art jump rope — the kind that boxers use. And I’m excited to try.
Trying Something New at 72
To get ready, I did a bit of online research about jumping rope and this morning, when I went to Saint Mary’s Park, I started jumping. I pretended I was spinning a jump rope and, on the balls of my feet, I started bouncing. 100 bounces at a time.
Turns out that it’s even fun to jump without a rope.
There’s none of the worry that the rope will get caught on your feet. You just spin your wrists and take little jumps. Each set of 100 got my heart rate up a bit and by the 10th set, jumping started to feel more comfortable.
When I came home, I started watching videos of jump rope tricks…
Video via GIPHY
Turns out, there’s a whole community of people who jump rope. And it’s good for you. Good for your heart and your bones and your agility and even your brain.
It makes you light on your feet, which is why boxers do it and it improves your coordination. It burns lots of calories and is one of the best exercises to ward off osteoporosis. And, you can do it pretty much anywhere as long as the ceiling is high enough.
I have in mind to get the jump roping basics under my belt and even a trick or two before the end of the year. I’ll work on being able to jump for three minutes at a time without gasping for breath.
Good goals, don’t you think?
The Fun of Learning Something New
Learning something new is challenging. In the beginning, you feel like a fool. But when the expectations are low even small successes feel like big wins.
But my favorite part if learning something new is the encouragement I get. When I take my jump rope to Saint Mary’s Park in the morning and start jumping, it sparks wonderful conversations with people. They offer advice and encouragement that motivates me more. It turns out that just trying to learn something new and age inappropriate is good for the body and the mind!
For now my new skill is jumping rope. Who knows, maybe next year I’ll learn to be a clown! Not bad aspirations for this third quarter gal!
ThisConsider Learning a New Skill
Have you thought about learning something new and unlikely this year? Can you get yourself excited about being a beginner again? Think about what you’d like to learn and then nose around the internet to learn more about how you’d start. Then, if it continues to appeal to you, take a lesson, get a trainer, or just use the on-line information to get you started!
Let me know what new and unexpected thing you’d like to learn in the comments below. Does jumping rope strike your fancy? Or perhaps standing on your head?
Jump your way on over to Facebook and share your thoughts there, too.
