Week 6 - Skip It!

Skipping!!

As I cast my mind back 30+ years, I have fond memories of me and my school pals skipping across the daisy filled playing fields, pigtails swaying in the balmy summer breeze, singing along to the jump rope song of the week "ally, ally, up-see-daisy..."

Let's forward wind to the present day, now a 40 year old, sedentary mother of three, and skipping just doesn't have the 'glow' I remembered. OMG it's really hard work!

Let me paint you the picture...


- It was a miserable day outside but I was eager to get started on the 'Move More' part of my resolution. I decided that due to that fact I have no ceiling pendants I could get away with skipping indoors!! After taking out the wall light fitting, I moved to the front room which was slightly bigger!

I cleared space and flicked on the telly to keep me company.

Any warm, fuzzy feelings about skipping soon fizzled out when I started leaping around my living room, I was like a lava lamp - folds of flab clashing together, boobs bouncing right and left, up and down!

Shelley's Top Tips to consider before embarking on a skipping regime:-

• Wear a sports bra!
• ...and Tena Ladies!
• ...knee supports, elbow pads and a crash helmet wouldn't go amiss either!

After five minutes I had turned an alarming shade of crimson and my heart was singing to me ...

"what - are - you - doing,

you - crazy - fool?

what - are - you - doing,

you - crazy - fool?"

If I tried to do half an hour of this, my kids would be mopping my remains off the lounge carpet!

So, for the sake of my children (!!) I stopped after seven excruciating minutes and spent the next twenty three minutes flat on my back watching the tiny, tweety birds, circling about my head!

I am in luck however, this month's Essentials magazine (March 2013), featured an article (10 Tiny Tone-Ups) on how short, sharp bursts of exercise can be just as beneficial - hurrah! I'm saved. I am not going to beat myself up about the inability to skip for half an hour, instead I am going to do smaller bursts and mix it up.

* * *

A couple of years ago, we were selected as one of the 'Birdseye 100 Families', we were given a string of challenges and set to work blogging and experimenting with Birds Eye recipes and exercise targets, they sent us a very posh skipping rope which lets you know how many 'skips' you have done.
 

I decided to adopt a triathlon style to my routine - 10 minutes of skipping (aaah!), 10 minutes running up and down the stairs and 10 minutes of wall slides/squats. Much better! Still challenging but not so suicidal. My heart is now singing ...

"Skip - Jog - S l i d e,

Skip - Jog - S l i d e!"

I am glad this week is over, I found skipping a wee bit tough! However, all that lava lamping meant another pound lost at weight watchers, not all bad then!

Next week - power walking!