How is your jumping and skipping quest coming along? Did you reach your Skip Goal of 450 jumps to celebrate the halfway point today? If not, you still have time to catch up!
If you’re on track to hit those 1,000 skips my month’s end, we’ll defer to Fitness Quest host Angela Gargano to deliver some tips for acing this challenge.
Just as Gargano said, something to remember as we hit this midpoint is the importance of simply breathing. Did you know breathing through your nose decreases anxiety and helps you stay focused during high-intensity cardio? Try to avoid quick puffs, and instead inhale slowly and deeply, keeping an even-paced breath.
And if your calves are feeling the burn even more than your lungs, try the Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) yoga pose to loosen things up.
How-to: Sit on the floor with your legs pointed straight out in front of you, toes pointed up. Keep your back straight in an upright position. Then, generously bend your knees (we’re targeting the calves over the hamstrings, so adjust as you need to so you can reach your feet). On an exhalation, hinge forward at your hips and reach your arms in front of you, arms staying parallel with your legs, and hook your hands around the balls of your feet. On an inhalation, straighten your legs as much as feels comfortable while pulling the balls of your feet toward your knees. Fold a little deeper on every exhalation. Practice for 3 to 5 breaths. To exit, slide your hands over the tops of your legs as you slowly bring your chest back above your hips.
And don’t forget the Badassery Badge to make your Quest a little more challenging!
Badassery Badge
The revolutions indicated in the chart are for single-under skips — e.g., the rope passes underneath you once each time you jump. To earn this Badassery Badge, uplevel your jumping to double-unders — where the rope passes underneath you two twice each time you jump.