I love getting emails like this one from a 76-year-old who recently started skipping for fitness...

My son came by for Dad's day. He is fit as fiddle - does triatholones etc...I gave him 8 pounds of weight (two dumbells for his hands) and had him skip my very long driveway...He came back and said it was a much more strenuous workout thatn he thought it would be.

It's true that skipping is a great workout. Prevention Magazine reports that it burns twice as many calories as walking...and it has less impact on the joints than running does.

If you are just starting out skipping, try alternating skipping and walking for a while. Also, keep in mind that you will be able to go for longer distances if you stay low to the ground and keep the bounce in your step to a minimum!

Quite often adults who are just starting to skip again are very exuberant in their skipping...But you'll quickly see that it isn't as effortless as when you were a kid! Stick with a lower impact skip and you'll be able to go for miles!

Skip on!