Skip Tips

Skipping burns twice as many calories as walking, has less impact on your joints than running, and is a lot more fun! You can skip on the treadmill, skip on the street, or skip around your house. You can skip for long distances; walk a block, run a block, and skip a block; or walk four steps then skip four steps, walk for steps than skip four steps, etc.Skip for as long or for as short a distance as your body feels inspired to skip.

Here are some important skip tips to keep in mind:

1. Stay Low and Go Slow – Resist the urge to bounce high into the air. Start with easy, low-to-the-ground skips. Too much impact can be jarring to the adult body, so stick with low-impact skips until you learn your body’s limits.
2. Take it Easy – There is no need to skip for miles, although there are people out there who do. Instead, for the next 21-days I recommend blending short skipping intervals into walking and/or running routines instead, especially when you are first starting out.
3. Soften Your Landing – It is best to wear good running, cross training, or dance sneakers to help absorb impact. Skipping on dirt or grass will be easier on your body than skipping on concrete.
4. Don’t Worry, Be Happy. – The most important thing to remember is that skipping is fun and uplifting by nature! Unlike running that is based on our fight-or-flight reflex– animals run to get away from something or to get somewhere fast, the energy of skipping is light and playful like an animal frolicking in a field. So skip for as long or for as short a distance as your body feels inspired to skip. Definitely cut back if it starts to feel like drudgery.