Prevention Magazine

Here’s what Prevention Magazine’s September 2001 issue had to say about skipping for exercise…

Energize Your Workouts–Feel great, get faster results, and have fun…

Putting a little skip in your step can breathe life into a stale exercise routine. Skipping–that free spirited activity you did as a kid–is making a comeback in adult exercise, and with good reason.

“Skipping is cool,” says Prevention exercise advisor Wayne L. Westcott, Ph.D., fitness research director for the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, MA. “Football players do it. Runners do it. It really works your legs, provides a good cardio workout, and is fun for variety.”

This playful childhood exercise can also help with grown-up concerns:
**Speed up results. Add short skipping sessions to your daily walk. Skipping burns twice as many calories as walking, so you’ll lose weight faster. Or do it to raise your heart rate between sets while lifting weights.
***Sneak in a workout. Do you find there’s never any time to exercise? Skip around the house for a quickie workout.
***Strengthen bones. Moderate impact activities such as jumping and skipping help build your bones and keep them strong.
***Beat Boredom. A little skipping can energize an entire walk.
***Invite Family Fun. Young kids love to skip. Take them along to help the whole family stay fit.

How to Skip Safely:
1. Stay low and slow. Start with just a few easy, low-to-the-ground skips, pushing off your back foot and swinging your arms. When you feel up to it, skip a little longer or with more gusto.
2. Work it into walks. No need to skip for miles. Walk a block, then skip a quarter block. Continue mixing the two throughout your workout.
3. Soften your landing. Wear good aerobic sneakers to absorb impact. Skip on dirt or cindered paths rather than concrete.
4. Watch your back. Too much impact can aggravate lower-back injuries. Stick to easy, low-impact skips if you have a history of back problems.