How Jumping Rope Changes The Human Body

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The 10almonds Team

Most popularly enjoyed by professional boxers and six-year-old girls, jumping rope is one of the most metabolism-boosting exercises around:

Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from good health

Maybe you haven’t tried it since your age was in single digits, so, if you do…

What benefits can you expect?

  • Improves cardiovascular fitness, equivalent to 30 minutes of running with just 10 minutes of jumping.
  • Increases bone density and boosts immunity by aiding the lymphatic system.
  • Enhances explosiveness in the lower body, agility, and stamina.
  • Improves shoulder endurance, coordination, and spatial awareness.

What kind of rope is best for you?

  • Beginner ropes: licorice ropes (nylon/vinyl), beaded ropes for rhythm and durability.
  • Advanced ropes: speed ropes (denser, faster materials) for higher speeds and more difficult skills.
  • Weighted ropes: build upper body muscles (forearms, shoulders, chest, back).

What length should you get?

  • Recommended rope length varies by height (8 ft for 5’0″–5’4″, 9 ft for 5’5″–5’11”, 10 ft for 6’0″ and above).
  • Beginners should start with longer ropes for clearance.

What should you learn?

  • Initial jump rope skills: start with manageable daily jump totals, gradually increasing as ankles, calves, and feet adapt.
  • Further skills: learn the two-foot jump and then the boxer’s skip for efficient, longer sessions and advanced skills. Keep arms close and hands at waist level for a smooth swing.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like to read:

How To Do High Intensity Interval Training (Without Wrecking Your Body)

Take care!

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  • Level-Up Your Fiber Intake! (Without Difficulty Or Discomfort)

    The 10almonds Team

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Why You’re Probably Not Getting Enough Fiber (And How To Fix It)

    First things first… How much fiber should we be eating?

    *This one is also a great read to understand more about the “why” of fiber

    Meanwhile, the average American gets 16g of fiber per day.

    So, how to get more fiber, without piling on too many carbs?

    Foods that contain fiber generally contain carbs (there’s a limit to how much celery most people want to eat), so there are two key ideas here:

    • Getting a good carb:fiber ratio
    • Making substitutions that boost fiber without overdoing (or in some case, even changing) carbs

    Meat → Lentils

    Well-seasoned lentils can be used to replaced ground beef or similar. A cup of boiled lentils contains 18g of fiber, so you’re already outdoing the average American’s daily total.

    Meat → Beans

    Black beans are a top-tier option here (15g per cup, cooked weight), but many kinds of beans are great.

    Chicken/Fish → Chickpeas

    Yes, chicken/fish is already meat, but we’re making a case for chickpeas here. Cooked and seasoned appropriately, they do the job, and pack in 12g of fiber per cup. Also… Hummus!

    Bonus: Hummus, eaten with celery sticks.

    White pasta/bread → Wholewheat pasta/bread

    This is one where “moderation is key”, but if you’re going to eat pasta/bread, then wholewheat is the way to go. Fiber amounts vary, so read labels, but it will always have far more than white.

    Processed salty snacks → Almonds and other nuts

    Nuts in general are great, but almonds are top-tier for fiber, amongst other things. A 40g handful of almonds contains about 10g of fiber.

    Starchy vegetables → Non-starchy vegetables

    Potatoes, parsnips, and their friends have their place. But they cannot compete with broccoli, peas, cabbage, and other non-starchy vegetables for fiber content.

    Bonus: if you’re going to have starchy vegetables though, leave the skins on!

    Fruit juice → Fruit

    Fruit juice has had most, if not all, of its fiber removed. Eat an actual juicy fruit, instead. Apples and bananas are great options; berries such as blackberries and raspberries are even better (at around 8g per cup, compared to the 5g or so depending on the size of an apple/banana)

    Processed cereals → Oats

    5g fiber per cup. Enough said.

    Summary

    Far from being a Herculean task, getting >30g of fiber per day can be easily accomplished by a lentil ragù with wholewheat pasta.

    If your breakfast is overnight oats with fruit and some chopped almonds, you can make it to >20g already by the time you’ve finished your first meal of the day.

    Enjoy!

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  • Why do I need to get up during the night to wee? Is this normal?

    Christian Moro and Charlotte Phelps – Bond University

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    It can be normal to wake up once or even twice during the night to wee, especially as we get older.

    One in three adults over 30 makes at least two trips to the bathroom every night.

    Waking up from sleep to urinate on a regular basis is called nocturia. It’s one of the most commonly reported bothersome urinary symptoms (others include urgency and poor stream).

    So what causes nocturia, and how can it affect wellbeing?

    A range of causes

    Nocturia can be caused by a variety of medical conditions, such as heart or kidney problems, poorly controlled diabetes, bladder infections, an overactive bladder, or gastrointestinal issues. Other causes include pregnancy, medications and consumption of alcohol or caffeine before bed.

    While nocturia causes disrupted sleep, the reverse is true as well. Having broken sleep, or insomnia, can also cause nocturia.

    When we sleep, an antidiuretic hormone is released that slows down the rate at which our kidneys produce urine. If we lie awake at night, less of this hormone is released, meaning we continue to produce normal rates of urine. This can accelerate the rate at which we fill our bladder and need to get up during the night.

    Stress, anxiety and watching television late into the night are common causes of insomnia.

    A person with their hands in front of their pelvic area in a bathroom.
    Sometimes we need to get up late at night to pee.
    Christian Moro

    Effects of nocturia on daily functioning

    The recommended amount of sleep for adults is between seven and nine hours per night. The more times you have to get up in the night to go to the bathroom, the more this impacts sleep quantity and quality.

    Decreased sleep can result in increased tiredness during the day, poor concentration, forgetfulness, changes in mood and impaired work performance.

    If you’re missing out on quality sleep due to nighttime trips to the bathroom, this can affect your quality of life.

    In more severe cases, nocturia has been compared to having a similar impact on quality of life as diabetes, high blood pressure, chest pain, and some forms of arthritis. Also, frequent disruptions to quality and quantity of sleep can have longer-term health impacts.

    Nocturia not only upsets sleep, but also increases the risk of falls from moving around in the dark to go to the bathroom.

    Further, it can affect sleep partners or others in the household who may be disturbed when you get out of bed.

    Can you have a ‘small bladder’?

    It’s a common misconception that your trips to the bathroom are correlated with the size of your bladder. It’s also unlikely your bladder is smaller relative to your other organs.

    If you find you are having to wee more than your friends, this could be due to body size. A smaller person drinking the same amount of fluids as someone larger will simply need to go the bathroom more often.

    If you find you are going to the bathroom quite a lot during the day and evening (more than eight times in 24 hours), this could be a symptom of an overactive bladder. This often presents as frequent and sudden urges to urinate.

    If you are concerned about any lower urinary tract symptoms, it’s worth having a chat with your family GP.

    There are some medications that can assist in the management of nocturia, and your doctor will also be able to help identify any underlying causes of needing to go to the toilet during the night.

    A happy and healthy bladder

    Here are some tips to maintain a happy and healthy bladder, and reduce the risk you’ll be up at night:

    Christian Moro, Associate Professor of Science & Medicine, Bond University and Charlotte Phelps, Senior Teaching Fellow, Medical Program, Bond University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • The Knowledge That Harvard Medical School’s Clinical Instructor Dr. Monique Tello Thinks Everyone SHOULD Have About Heart Health

    The 10almonds Team

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Anyone (who has not had a double mastectomy, anyway) can get breast cancer.

    Breast cancer, if diagnosed early (before it spreads), has a 98% survival rate.

    That survival rate drops to 31% if diagnosed after it has spread through the body.

    (The US CDC’s breast cancer “stat bite” page has more stats and interactive graphs, so click here to see those charts and get the more detailed low-down on mortality/survival rates with various different situations)

    We think that the difference between 98% and 31% survival rates is more than enough reason to give ourselves a monthly self-check at the very least! You’ve probably seen how-to diagrams before, but here are instructions for your convenience:

    This graphic created by the Jordan Breast Cancer Program (check them out, as they have lots of resources)

    If you don’t have the opportunity to take matters into your own hands right now, rather than just promise yourself “I’ll do that later”, take this free 4-minute Breast Health Assessment from Aurora Healthcare. Again, we think the difference early diagnosis can make to your survival chances make these tests well worth it.

    Lest we forget, men can also get breast cancer (the CDC has a page for men too), especially if over 50. But how do you check for breast cancer, when you don’t have breasts in the commonly-understood sense of the word?

    So take a moment to do this (yes, really actually do it!), and set a reminder in your calendar to repeat it monthly—there really is no reason not to! Take care of yourself; you’re important.

    Pssst! Did you scroll past the diagrams, looking for the online 4-minute test promised by the subtitle? If so, scroll back up; the link is in the middle!

    Harvard Medical School’s Clinical Instructor’s Five-Point Plan for Heart Health

    Dr. Monique Tello, M.D., M.P.H., is a practicing physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, director of research and academic affairs for the MGH DGM Healthy Lifestyle Program, clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School, and author of the evidence-based lifestyle change guide Healthy Habits for Your Heart.

    Here are what she says are the five most important factors to help keep your ticker ticking:

    5. Have (at most) a moderate alcohol intake! While there are polyphenols such as resveratrol in red wine that could boost heart health, there’s so little per glass that you may need 100–1000 glasses to get the dosage that provides benefits in mouse studies. If you’re not a mouse, it may not be as beneficial, and Dr. Tello recommends drinking no more than one glass per day of any alcohol. What constitutes a glass? It varies from one kind of drink to another, so here’s a handy guide.

    4. Don’t smoke. Best of all to never start. But if you did, quit. Simple as that. There is no healthy amount of smoking. While paradoxically, quitting smoking may of course be stressful to you, the long term gains are considered more than worth it. As with all advice, do consult your own physician for guidance, as individual circumstances may vary, and that may change the best approach for you.

    3. Maintain a healthy body weight. While BMI (Body Mass Index) is not a perfect system, it’s a system in popular use, and Dr. Tello recommends keeping a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9.

    What’s your BMI? It takes into account your height and weight; here’s a Quick BMI Calculator for your convenience.

    2. Keep a healthy level of physical activity—which ideally means at least 30 minutes per day vigorous activity, but obviously if you’re not used to this, take it slowly and build up over time. Even just small lifestyle changes (walking where possible, taking the stairs instead of the elevator where possible, etc) can add up to a big difference.

    1. Enjoy a healthy diet. This is the single most important thing, and the best modern scientific consensus holds that the best diet contains plenty of vegetables, fruits and nuts, whole grains, and omega-3 fatty acids, while it avoids processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, trans fats (what are trans fats?), and too much sodium.

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  • Thai-Style Kale Chips

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    The 10almonds Team

    …that are actually crispy, tasty, and packed with nutrients! Lots of magnesium and calcium, and array of health-giving spices too.

    You will need

    • 7 oz raw curly kale, stalks removed
    • extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
    • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
    • 2 tsp red chili flakes (or crushed dried red chilis)
    • 2 tsp light soy sauce
    • 2 tsp water
    • 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (pick one with no added sugar, salt, etc)
    • 1 tsp honey
    • 1 tsp Thai seven-spice powder
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt

    Method

    (we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

    1) Pre-heat the oven to 180℃ / 350℉ / Gas mark 4.

    2) Put the kale in a bowl and drizzle a little olive oil over it. Work the oil in gently with your fingertips so that the kale is coated; the leaves will also soften while you do this; that’s expected, so don’t worry.

    3) Mix the rest of the ingredients to make a sauce; coat the kale leaves with the sauce.

    4) Place on a baking tray, as spread-out as there’s room for, and bake on a middle shelf for 15–20 minutes. If your oven has a fierce heat source at the top, it can be good to place an empty baking tray on a shelf above the kale chips, to baffle the heat and prevent them from cooking unevenly—especially if it’s not a fan oven.

    5) Remove and let cool, and then serve! They can also be stored in an airtight container if desired.

    Enjoy!

    Want to learn more?

    For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

    Take care!

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  • Cool As A Cucumber

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    The 10almonds Team

    Cucumber Extract Beats Glucosamine & Chondroitin… At 1/135th Of The Dose?!

    Do you take glucosamine & chondroitin supplements for your bone-and-joint health?

    Or perhaps, like many, you take them intermittently because they mean taking several large tablets a day. Or maybe you don’t take them at all because they generally contain ingredients derived from shellfish?

    Cucumber extract has your back! (and your knees, and your hips, and…)

    It’s plant-derived (being from botanical cucumbers, not sea cucumbers, the aquatic animal!) and requires only 1/135th of the dosage to produce twice the benefits!

    Distilling the study to its absolute bare bones for your convenience:

    • Cucumber extract (10mg) was pitted against glucosamine & chondroitin (1350mg)
    • Cucumber extract performed around 50% better than G&C after 30 days
    • Cucumber extract performed more than 200% better than G&C after 180 days

    In conclusion, this study indicates that, in very lay terms:

    Cucumber extract blows glucosamine & chondroitin out of the water as a treatment and preventative for joint pain

    Curious To Know More? See The Study For Yourself!

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  • Strong Bones Forever − by Dr. Raymond Hinish

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    The 10almonds Team

    This doctor of pharmacy would like for fewer people to take (or need to take) osteoporosis medications. Indeed, as the subtitle suggests, the focus here is on drug-free solutions.

    And not just because “natural is better” as an argument without evidence, rather, he talks about the limitations and drawbacks of osteoporosis medications (which we wrote about previously, but he has more room to go into more detail), whereupon some osteoporosis meds may do more harm than good.

    His method boasts improvements in bone density by 11% or more in two years, and covers such topics as:

    • which calcium (and why no, dairy is not what you want; it contains things that inhibit calcium absorption, so the calcium will be stuck in your arteries instead of your bones)
    • which minerals are more important than calcium, and why
    • common mistakes that many people make that sabotage their bone density

    It’s about more than just diet though; he does also talk about hormones, and not just other lifestyle factors, but also many “industry secrets” that aren’t really secrets per se, it’s just, people outside of the industry don’t usually know them—pertaining to things like how to get the most out of bone density tests (i.e. how to get better accuracy), how to meaningfully assess fracture risk, and, if choosing to take osteoporosis meds, how to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits.

    The style is very direct and informational, very easy to read, remarkably jargon-free, and our only criticism is that there is no bibliography.

    Bottom line: if you’d like to improve your bone density, this book can certainly help with that.

    Click here to check out Strong Bones Forever, and have strong bones forever!

    Don’t Forget…

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