Just a while ago, I came across an interesting video in which YouTuber @joannadesu did 1000 jump ropes every day for a week. By the end, she had lost a few pounds and some body fat. The results seemed convincing, and since I needed to get some exercise in, I decided to take on this jump rope challenge—except for longer.
I jumped rope for two weeks and recorded my observations every day for the duration of the challenge. In the beginning, I was a little nervous because I hadn’t jumped rope since fifth grade, and my game was a little rusty. Nonetheless, I persisted. Here are the materials I used:
– A quality, $10 jump rope from Amazon
– Good exercising shoes (please do not wear flip-flops or do this challenge barefooted, you will instantly regret it)
– An open space like a backyard, preferably grass so your joints don’t crack like glow sticks everytime you jump
– Music. No Kendrick, no exercise.
January 10: Day 1, 5 PM
I decided to record my thoughts after every 100 jumps.
100 – This is harder than I thought. I started a little later than I wanted today, but any time can be great for exercising, right?
200 – My calves are starting to hurt slightly, and I have to use the restroom.
300 – I lost count but I’m pretty sure I can’t do 1000 of these in one day, I’m scaling it down to 500.
350 – Ok no.
As you can see, the first day was a little rough. I had to stop at 350 jumps because my legs were on fire. Also, I forgot to stretch beforehand, so my body was aching. I didn’t want to put myself through too much strain because that could lead to muscle injuries, so I decided to gradually increase the number of jumps everyday. I would suggest the same for anyone who is looking to do this challenge.
January 11: Day 2, 10 AM
I started off a little sore today (but early so that’s an improvement!), mainly in my legs and slightly in my core. I decided that it was best for me to keep the momentum going once I began, so I didn’t record my thoughts every 100 jumps. By the end, I completed 400 jumps. I was getting there, just slowly.
January 12: Day 3, 4:30 PM
Even though the weather was quite chilly, I felt too hot when I jumped rope yesterday due to all of the movement. As a result, I decided to jump rope later in the evening when the weather got cooler so the breeze could cool me off. When I tell you I was sore everywhere, I was sore everywhere. My arms hurt a lot the night before, and my legs ceased to function. Everything felt like Jell-O. Jumping was the last thing I wanted to do. Somehow, with the magical power of my playlist, I got through it. I was at 450. I’m sure you can see a pattern here. I’m increasing the number of jumps by 50 each day since that is the most comfortable.
January 13: Day 4, 4:45 PM
I’m definitely less sore today. I’m glad I got this far because usually, I can’t stick to an exercising routine. I was really surprised with myself, but happy. The routine was pretty much the same, except I did 500 jumps (halfway there!). My music helped me keep going.
January 14: Day 5, 5:30 PM
I was busy with work, so I had to do the challenge much later than I expected today. I also went for a 2-mile run earlier today, so I was already exhausted from that. For some reason, I just couldn’t keep up with jumping. I only got to 300 and my chest started hurting. I was feeling a little dizzy, so that’s all I could do for the day. I noticed, however, that my calves felt and looked more toned today. Maybe the challenge was working?
January 15: Day 6, 4:00 PM
I believe diet also plays a huge role when it comes to these kinds of challenges, and it depends on whether you are doing the exercise to see results. I know I was trying to see if I could get results. This is why I had to cut out a few things from my diet. I stopped eating Coco Puffs for breakfast and replaced that with fruit. I also increased my water intake from 3 cups to 8 cups, although it was a hard transition at first. Today, I was feeling much better, and I made sure to not go on a 2-mile run to prevent burnout. I was able to do 500 jumps and felt refreshed.
January 16: Day 7, 4:15 PM
I got to 600 jumps today! I think it was because I was talking to my friend earlier over FaceTime, and she really motivated me to do as many as I could. I think it’s really important to have an exercising buddy because you can encourage each other. My core felt tighter today, but they weren’t sore, so that’s good. My calves stopped hurting completely. I rewarded myself with some ice cream because today marks one week of attempting this challenge.
January 17: Day 8, 4:00 PM
It was a bit cold today, so I had to jump rope in my sweatshirt. It was pretty easy to get through the first 300 today, and I’m assuming that’s a sign that I am slowly getting used to this activity! I noticed that my legs were a little stiffer than usual. In total, I did 683 (it was close enough to 700).
January 18: Day 9, 5:45 PM
My knees hurt and I’m hungry. I was only able to get to 600 today.
January 19: Day 10 [break]
I just couldn’t do it today. I think it was mainly because I went to sleep really late the night before, so my energy level was at an all-time low. However, this is perfectly alright, because I realize that there are going to be days when you just need a break from exercising. I was tired, and that’s completely understandable. I didn’t bash myself over it (and you shouldn’t either if you’re doing this challenge).
January 20: Day 11, 10:00AM
I was feeling productive today, and because I had a good breakfast, I decided to finish my daily jump roping ritual a little earlier. I got to 750 jumps!
January 21: Day 12, 4:15 PM
I think I’m on a productivity streak. I made it to 900 jumps. I don’t know why, but I think the fact that I was able to jump so many times yesterday motivated me to just keep going.
January 22: Day 13
It rained today, so it was hard to find a place to jump rope. I ended up using my garage so I wouldn’t get whipped in the ankles by the soaking wet rope (ouch!). I got to 947.
January 23: Day 14
I kept the best day for the end. At last, I reached 1000 jumps in my garage because it was raining (again). I was so relieved. Here are my final thoughts:
Overall, this two-week challenge was a tough one, and even though I only ended up jumping a full 1000 once on the last day, I am still extremely proud of the progress I made. In terms of physical appearance and change, I noticed that my calves were a lot more toned and a little slimmer. The same happened with the upper part of my legs, but the difference wasn’t too noticeable. I did, however, lose around 3 pounds, which was a benefit that I was definitely not expecting. I realized that my diet and sleep schedule played a crucial role in whether I saw results. I’m sure if I had controlled my diet and stuck to a more consistent sleep schedule, I would have seen even better results. However, I would recommend this challenge to anyone who is looking for a good way to tone their legs and, well, jump!