A new study just came out that shows how exercise can help you shed fat (and prevent it from forming) by way of a hormone that is released when you exercise. You can check out the article I read over at science daily. To sum up what they found, a hormone called irisin is released when you exercise (I am going to use jump rope since that is always my focus), and what happens is that when it is released, it boosts “the activity of genes and a protein that are crucial to turning white fat cells into brown cells, the researchers found. It also significantly increases the amount of energy used by those cells, indicating it has a role in burning fat.”
I love how new studies keep finding these unknown aspects of the body that help you shed fat. So many people are looking for a silver bullet to losing weight, however:
The most effective way to shed fat is to exercise!
Cutting calories is an important step, but the findings in this study show that irisin changes the types of cells you have in your fat so that they don’t store it as readily. You need to jump rope (or something) on top of any dietary changes. I will always focus on jump rope since it gets your heart rate up quickly, is very portable, low impact and anyone can do it. Plus the variety of things you can do with a jump rope will keep your workouts from getting boring.
Variety is an important topic to discuss because the real long term benefits of irisin necessitate a constant stream in your system. The only way currently to have that happen is to get in a rhythm of consistently working out. You need to develop a consistent workout routine multiple times per week. Jump rope is a great activity because you can adjust what types of jumping you are doing every day and focus on different types of skills. There is no excuse for getting bored with your workout.
I personally try to do 6 days a week since I know how much better I feel when I am working out consistently. To be perfectly honest, I have not been hitting that goal recently. Why? I injured my back this summer. I will go into some more details on this in the near future, but due to my injury I have been forced to cut back on my workouts (regularity and intensity). It has been driving me nuts!
Since I am so used to jumping rope and working out on a regular basis, when I am forced to take a long term break, I can’t stand how I feel. My wife makes fun of the fact that I feel fat. I have put on a little bit of weight and can’t wait to get back to my normal routine so I can get my irisin production back up to my normal levels. I admit that I probably won’t be thinking about this hormone too much, but it’s nice to know that science is finding new ways that we are benefiting from jump rope and other consistent activities. So you want to shed fat? Jump rope at least 30 minutes a day. If you don’t know where to start, check out our Single Rope Skills videos right here at Jump Rope Secrets!