Running Vs. Jumping Jacks: Which Is The More Effective Exercise?
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Running addicts love the thrill of a sprint and call a five mile loop around their neighborhood “therapy.” Good for them! But what if you’re more inclined to stay on the couch than attempt a couch-to-5k training program? If your goal is getting in better cardiovascular shape — and maybe even losing some extra pounds — there are many other exercises out there that don’t involve pounding the pavement or a session on the treadmill (which you might think of as the “dreadmill.”) “Too often I see people who sign up to do something like running, even though they know they hate running,” Shavise Glascoe, exercise physiologist at the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, told Health.
Instead, experts say, we should do an exercise we love. And if you think back to your most positive memories of getting your heart rate elevated, you might recall an old favorite from elementary school: jumping jacks. This fitness move is a type of calisthenics that strengthens bones, burns fat and calories, and uses multiple muscle groups at once (per OpenFit). Might jumping jacks even be more effective than running?
Instead, experts say, we should do an exercise we love. And if you think back to your most positive memories of getting your heart rate elevated, you might recall an old favorite from elementary school: jumping jacks. This fitness move is a type of calisthenics that strengthens bones, burns fat and calories, and uses multiple muscle groups at once (per OpenFit). Might jumping jacks even be more effective than running?
