by
Nick Nunes
It’snosecret that Barbados hashadanissue with obesity anditsrelated issues foralong time. The ongoing lapses innormal activity have served to highlight aneed forpeople around theworld to keep active even without thepossibility ofsocial activity.
According totheCDC, “ Adults with excess weight areateven greater riskduring theCOVID 19 pandemic: • Having obesity increases theriskofsevere illness from COVID 19.People who areoverweight mayalso be atincreased risk.
• Having obesity maytriple theriskofhospitalisation duetoaCOVID 19infection.
• Obesity islinked toimpaired immune function.
• Obesity decreases lung capacity andreserve andcan make ventilation more difficult.
• AsBMIincreases, theriskofdeath from COVID 19 increases.
• Studies have demonstrated that obesity maybelinked tolower vaccine responses fornumerous diseases ( influenza, Hepatitis B,tetanus).”
Doing everything onecantomitigate thepotential for theworst outcome ofadisease that hasclaimed thelives ofnearly 2.5million injustover ayear should beanobrainer.
According tothePanAmerican Health Organisation ( PAHO), “ In2015, 80% ofmen and90% ofwomen presented atleast oneriskfactor forchronic non-communicable disease. Twooutofthree adults were overweight, andoneoutofevery three wasobese. The prevalence ofobesity wasalmost twice ashigh inwomen ( 43%) asinmen ( 23%). Oneoutoftenwomen and1out of 20 men had a body mass index ( BMI) equal to or greater than 35. In children, the obesity rate was 14.4%.”
This focus on one of the largest factors for complications due to contracting COVID 19 is why there have been repeated calls to lessen our individual potential for susceptibility where we can.
In January 2021, the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados posed a challenge to the nation. “ Join The Thursday Club and Dr Romel Springer as they present the Family Fun Skipping Challenge – Let’s Get Barbados Skipping Again” was the call in the virtual sphere as the deep waters of our COVID 19 crises became darker.
The call from Dr Romel Springer and The Thursday Club endorsed the idea of making a short video of you and your family skipping and posting it to Facebook or Instagram with the Hashtag # familyfunskippingchallenge. The call came with encouragement to share and spread the challenge to family and friends. “ Skipping daily for at least 15 minutes can improve heart health, boost mental health, increases concentration and strengthens bones,” posted the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados.
This echoes calls to stay active and healthy while staying at home. Dancing, skipping, muscle strength and balance training are all easy beginner steps in the fight against stagnation.
If you’ve ever taken rope in hand and had a go at jumping in, you won’t be surprised that skipping rope can burn ten calories per minute while also strengthening legs, butt, shoulders, belly, and arms.
One of the most iconic images of skipping rope comes from the classic Rocky film.
Skipping is a great way to work your entire body at once. Skipping can raise your heart rate two to three times faster than most other workouts and because of the full body motion involved, muscles from your head to your toes all get involved.
During a session of skipping, you’re pushing your body off the ground and landing while also tensing your arm muscles and continually contracting your core. Because of the impact of your up and down motions, a surface designed for high impact training can help cut down on the joint strain of the activity— think wooden floors or surface similar to aerobics areas.
Also very important for skipping is footwear. A good pair of cross-trainers that offer the adequate amount of support for your feet in particular can mean the difference between comfort in continuing workout or crashing and quitting from strain.
A quick test of the jump rope world will show you just how many muscles are involved in the process. You can feel the muscles in your back, your torso, shoulders, neck, legs, arms, butteverywhere , all taking basically, all taking part in your journey.
Skipping is one of the best cardio workouts you can do and it’s one that you feel immediately. This simple activity improves heart health, coordination, stamina, flexibility, and pulmonary function. Skipping improves your circulation and thus strengthens your heart and its ability to endure stress while also working your lungs by forcing you to breathe to keep up. By breathing fast and hard, you’re improving your lung’s capacity for oxygen and training them to become stronger.
In the world of limited ability to go out and about, skipping strengthens your feet,
stronger. In the world of limited ability to go out and about, skipping strengthens your feet,
ankles, and lower legs which can stave off the potential for injury, especially later in life. Skipping forces you to be on the balls of your feet which is how you strengthen these lower extremities and can help you become more nimble along the way.
Every time you land during a skipping session, you’re putting stress on your bones and joints. Training your bones to endure stress safely is a way to increase their ability to absorb shock, become denser, and grow stronger.
Exercise is the best way to rid the body of toxins that build up in the muscles and a great way to bribe the brain into releasing our much sought after serotonin and endocannabinoids— chemicals that produce feelings of joy, relaxation, and pain relief.
Take a step today to skip into a better, healthier body and maybe take part in a challenge that can help heave the health of the nation into a fitter and finer future.
SKIPPING
IS ONE OF THE
BEST CARDIO
WORKOUTS
YOU CAN DO
