Staying fit on the go isn’t the easiest, and unless you have access to a gym all the eating out can really start to affect your body and your mood. Jogging is also not always an option in a new city, especially if you are only getting back after dark and are concerned about getting lost or safety. One of the easiest and most effective ways to burn off some of those unwanted calories while requiring very little space is by skipping.
Skipping burns around 10 calories per minute, which is roughly the same as jogging and can be done from the convenience of your room. There are a number of other advantages to skipping over jogging:
Less set up time
You don’t need to worry about locking up the house and making sure that you have your phone/keys with you or making sure that you have the right active wear. In fact even shoes are optional when it comes to skipping.
Multitasking
Got a series that you really want to finish or are in the middle of cooking supper? No problem, getting in some exercise while your supper is heating up in the oven is a great way to make use of the time that you might otherwise spend lounging on the couch.
Smaller equipment
If you are travelling light then it may not be feasible to pack a pair of running shoes as well as your work shoes. Skipping ropes on the other hand are tiny, and can be easily packed into most carry on luggage.
The Gritin Speed Rope
I have been using the Gritin Speed Rope for about 6 months now and feel comfortable giving my thoughts about it and its long term durability. Overall I have found this rope to be excellent quality and particularly good when it comes to keeping fit on the go while travelling due to a number of features.
Size
Gone are the days of the old school skipping ropes with large wooden handles, this speed rope is extremely compact. Instead of wooden handles it uses a very comfortable leather like plastic that gives it a premium feel and is extremely comfortable and solid to hold whilst still being impervious to sweat.
The handles are compact at around 2/3 the size of an old school skipping rope which allows it to pack up into a tiny bag that you can take anywhere.
Instead of using a bulky rope, they have opted for a coated wire which is more durable while also keeping it light and compact.
Smoothness
The problem with a light rope is that it can be hard to get enough momentum to keep the arc, Gritin have got around this problem with a couple of interesting solutions. The first is the use of a cable, metal is far more dense than plastic and allows the rope to maintain its momentum. Cable also has a natural inclination to hold its shape which aids it in keeping a clean arc when in use. The last innovation is the inclusion of ball bearings at the handle attachments. This ensures that all the wrist effort goes directly into the rope with very little lost to friction.
Durability
When you are travelling you never know where you will be working out, one day it may be outdoors in a park, the next in your hotel room. You also don’t always have access to spares so it’s important that your gear doesn’t let you down. When it comes to jump ropes the main point of failure is the middle of the rope. This is the part that repeatedly hits the ground as you jump and will wear out the fastest. This can happen particularly quickly if you exercise on rough surfaces like concrete or tarmac. To increase the durability, this jump rope includes an additional cover that you can clip over the part that makes contact with the ground if you are going to be doing exercise on abrasive terrain. However I found that the cable was durable enough to not need it unless you are going to be extensively exercising on concrete. I have had the rope for about a year now and use it both indoors and outdoors on a concrete surface without the clip on cover and though there are some scratches on the cable it has not worn through the plastic.
It also comes with an additional cable should you manage to damage it and the cable is user replaceable without requiring any tools. All in all this should last years of regular use if looked after properly. The only thing that you have to watch out for with cables instead of rope is to make sure that you don’t kink the cable when you are putting it away. Cable holds a kink where as rope is more malleable.
Cost
Advanced and effective fitness gear doesn’t have to cost much. This jump rope is much cheaper than a pair of running shoes – in fact at around $7 it’s probably cheaper than the last take away meal that you had so don’t let that be an excuse.
Conclusion
Jumping rope used to be something that was associated with school children but has recently enjoyed a surge in popularity. The Gritin Speed Rope is not the skipping rope you used in the playground, 4 precision bearings in the handles ensure that almost all energy is put into turning the rope making it one of the fastest on the planet. It doesn’t even use rope but rather wire coated nylon which can stand up to all but the hardiest of surfaces. While there are many other speed ropes that use the same bearing and cable set up, the Gritin Speed Rope is nevertheless an extremely high quality and portable piece of fitness gear that has earned a spot in my bag whenever I travel.
You can find out more about this high grade speed rope and purchase it from Amazon over here.
