Challenges
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Quick Win
Cardiovascular exercise has great benefits for the heart and brain.
Try This Today
- Find an open area to allow plenty of space for jumping.
- Start easy — jumping rope for 30 consecutive seconds.
- As you continue daily, increase your time in 30-second increments as you are able.
Why
Chemicals released in the brain during cardiovascular exercise combat depression and help you feel better, according to a review of 58 studies published in 2023 in Sport Sciences for Health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that some benefits of physical activity on brain health, including improved cognitive function and reduced anxiety, start right after a session of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Jumping rope is a fun and convenient way to exercise — anytime, indoors or outside. After six months of supervised aerobic exercise, 206 adults in their late 50s to early 70s showed improvements in cognition, including executive function (the ability to do things like managing time and planning), according to a 2020 report in Neurology.
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