OK, it’s that time of the year again where we write down our New Years resolutions again. For a lot of us, yours truly included, the resolution that is at the top of the list is to lose weight and get in shape. Well, after a very hectic November and December I am able to once again start plugging away at this blog in order to keep track of my journey to get fit with the jump rope. There are three areas that I want my fitness program to encompass in the coming year and they are losing weight, gaining stamina/increasing endurance, and building some muscle. I will be focusing on developing a Jump Rope Workout in order to accomplish the first two goals and will even incorporate the jump rope into my weight training program after I get into better shape.
Losing weight is just one of those things that comes up again and again, unless of course you’re in excellent shape already, and it’s a very important goal for me to accomplish this year. I’ve been in kind of a yo-yo pattern the last 5 years where I was around my ideal weight then ballooned up again then lost the weight again and once again gained it all back. I’m not at my heaviest now, pretty close I’d bet, but I want to stop this pattern and lose the weight and keep it off. The main reason is that I want to set a good example for my kids so they don’t have to struggle with this like I have for a lot of my life. The kids are also one of the main reasons I’ve chosen the jump rope workout as my main piece of cardio equipment that I’ll use to lose the weight because as they grow older we’ll be able to spend time jumping rope together and hopefully they’ll develop a love for fitness and stick with it throughout their lives. My goal weight is 185 lbs which is probably about 90 or so pounds lighter than I am right now. I’ll weigh in on Friday and post my initial weight for all to see then. While losing weight is one of the big goals with my fitness program I also want to develop my stamina so that I am able to play with my kids instead of just watching from the sidelines.
Jumping rope is an excellent way to increase the endurance levels and build stamina which is another reason why I chose this type of workout. Just look at a boxer and you will realize they are in fantastic cardiovascular condition and I’d like to achieve some form of that in my own life. As my kids grow older I want to be able to go full speed with them and spend time with them where now I am just too tired to play very long. So, increasing my stamina levels is a very big piece of my fitness program and one that I know I can accomplish by skipping rope. I actually started to get into a routine with jump rope in October but then busy season came at work and I got sidetracked. Right now I would be unable to jump continuously for more than a minute to a minute and a half. My goal is to be able to get up to 30 minutes four times a week with an eventual mixture of High Intensity Interval Training and slow-go cardio jumping. This will most likely take a while but I know it can be done. Gaining stamina and losing weight are great goals but I also want to develop muscle in order to sculpt my body a bit and to be able to keep up with the physical demands that I’m sure the children will be putting me through.
Weight training is an integral part of keeping the weight off because muscle burns a good deal of calories each day just by being there. I’m not looking to become the next Mr Olympia, I just want to be able to have some definition to my body once the fat is gone and be able to pick up my children as they get older and bigger. So my initial goals for the year are to use the basics such as the bench and shoulder press, curls, rows, and leg presses to build a decent foundation of muscle that I can focus on once I am in better shape later on. I’ll also add some circuit training in there, which is where the jump rope will come in, where I’ll perform a set of weight lifting followed by a minute or two of jump rope then right into the next set of weight lifting and so on. This type of workout should have the extra benefit of blasting fat off at a quicker rate but is one that I’ll probably have to wait on for a few months as I build my initial stamina.
Now that I kind of have my goals written out I just have to clarify them a bit, write out some workouts, and get to work on attaining them. The jump rope workout will be key to my fitness program this year and I’ll post my results here often. Losing weight, gaining stamina, and building muscle are all achievable goals because I’ve done them before but I know it’s going to be a challenge. This blog will hopefully be a way for me to keep myself honest and be a way to be accountable so that I don’t just let another year of poor fitness go by. Feel free to leave comments on your goals this coming year and stop back often to keep me honest with mine. 
