Remember those fun jump roping songs? I used to love them and have dozens memorized while my friends in school and I jump-roped.
The other day I bought my 3yrs old daughter a jump rope and finally we got to play with it at the park. My husband gave it a go but had trouble in the grass. My daughter had seen on tv how it was supposed to be done and got frustrated she couldn’t do the same. So she uses it to tie poeple up and to play tug-o-war. At home I picked it up one afternoon but felt self concious to try it. Heaving my large body up and down over a rope wasn’t my idea of a stylish way to loose weight. I ddn’t even think it was healthy for someone my size to try and get their feet and knees to support that kind of jumping trauma. Would my back break? I’ve had back problems before and this was not something I want to encounter again. Would my husband be disgusted by my wobbily (jelloey, my husband likes to call it) body being catapulted? Would I fall on my face in front of my daughter? WOuld I trip and fall on my baby?
I took matters to the bedroom to try it out in peace. I set up the rope behind me and prepared my body mentally for any accident to befall it. I took a gentle swing and smoothly jumped over it with two feet. I wont lie it did hurt. My body is not used to supporting itself in the air and then having to catch it when it falls. But I did it. I sset up again and took another more forceful swing and skipped so that only one foot goes over the rop first and then lands and the back leg lifts for the follow through. There! That was much more easy on the body. So I tried a few good 5-10 skips before my daughter and hubby realized what the sound of the rope was… so suddenly they pop up and I stop self-conciously. Hubby proceeds to tell me quite possitively that he doesn’t mind seeing my jello wiggling as long as it’s wiggling for sports. So feeling happier with my back-handed compliment I start skipping in front of him and he’s quite impressed I can do so well. I DID use to skip rope everyday durring recess and at home for like 2 years when i was 6-8. I loved it then and I loved it now. It felt exhilarating being able to do so well after so long that I made the mistake of getting cocky and did a highwire (where the rope doesn’t touch the florr and you have to jump higher to get over it) and suceeded and then got more cocky and did a crossover (where you cross your hands at the elbows and jump through the loop) but this wasn’t the bendable kinda rope i had as a kid and it didn’t twist fast enough and I stepped on it and tripped and fell over onto the bed and almost sprained my ankle. I took a breather and warned myself that Allah put me back in my place with that last one. Obvisouly I’m not 7 years old anymore. Still Hubby was proud and I was happy to be able to do it again. He made me promise to do it daily and I happily did. I tried it next on this spongy mat I got for the living room so my baby with his new cruising abilities wouldn’t fall and hit his hed on the tile. It was much easier on my body and feet (ah my poor feet after that hard tile) and it was easier to jump. So I put it away for that day.
The next day I took it out and played with my daughter and then started exercizing. It felt great to do jumps and it certainly works out your whole body. I anxiously watched the clock instead of singing jumping songs but perhaps next time I’ll sing a little diddy. After an hour of good all around exercizing I was indeed THE SWEATY HIJAB and when hubby got home I handed over the kids and took a relaxing shower. Alhamdulillah.
