When most people think about jumping rope the picture of little girls laughing and playing comes to mind. What many people don't realize is that jumping rope is one of the best exercises and has many benefits for adults. It is a great way to burn calories, strengthen your heart, increase your stamina, and tone your muscles. Jumping rope for only 15 minutes at a moderate pace can burn up to 200 calories. That is more than walking, running, biking, and aerobics.

Not only does jumping rope have amazing health benefits, it is also a very cheap exercise to do. A good jump rope will only cost you anywhere from $15-$25 and will last you for a long time. A jump rope and a supportive pair of athletic shoes is all you need to get started with this exercise. Also, jumping rope can be done just about anywhere. It can be done outside, in the basement of your home and at your local gym. A jump rope is small enough that you can pack it in your suitcase and have a workout right there for your trip.

Jumping rope can be a workout all by itself or it can be incorporate with other exercises such as running, biking, and aerobics. It can be used as a warm-up for 10 minutes or can be incorporated into your interval training.

If you plan on using your jump rope alone as your complete workout, the best way to do this is to learn different jump rope exercises and techniques. To get a full workout, you don't just have to simply do the classic jumping rope. You can do double jumps which is one jump with two passes of the rope around your body. You can do jumping on one leg and alternate your legs. You can do crisscross jumping rope in which you cross your arms and jump over the rope with every other jump of the rope. Or you can try get the maximum workout and aim to increase your speed. When trying to increase your speed, think about professional boxers and how fast they jump rope.

Jumping rope is an efficient and convenient exercise that will work your whole body and burn calories quickly. It is definitely not just for little girls.

We've said goodbye to holiday revelries and the season of New Year's resolution making, but promises to keep up with the fitness routine may have slipped into the abyss of post-holiday bliss.

Chilly temperatures, icy streets and cold, dark days are less-than-inviting reasons to head to the gym in the wee morning hours. Winter season may have you cooped up indoors, but there are plenty of ways to get buff and fit before it's time to hit the beach. Grab that yoga mat, pick up a new water bottle and jump into any of these fun indoor activities to boost that sluggish winter metabolism:

Spice Up the Day with Zumba
Get a DVD of this fitness craze to practice dance and cardio moves that will get your heart racing. Zumba workouts tap into your Latin-music-lovin' side so you can heat up your workouts with a little salsa, rumba and hip-hop - and do it all from the comforts of home!

The Great Yoga Tone-Up
Yoga moves designed to burn fat can tighten and tone your entire body, reshaping that couch-loving figure within a few weeks. Get this routine done early in the morning before breakfast for the ultimate calorie burn.

Become the Dumbbell Master
Grab a pair of 5- or 8-lb dumbbells and pace around the house or apartment while doing bicep curls, overhead presses and other simple arm lift exercises to tone up the upper body. Adding weights to a basic walk or stroll can burn up extra calories and train new muscle groups.

Do The Jump Rope Jive
A jump rope and a pair of tennis shoes are all you need to blast away over 800 calories per hour. Jump roping at a moderate pace will give your heart a mega-workout and condition your muscles to the max.

Practice Your Trampoline Pose
Mini-trampolines, also known as rebounders, give you a quick and easy way to tone up the lower body. Get your cardio blast any time of day with a quick 15-20 minute routine on the mini-trampoline; just load up the iPod with your favorite tunes and, jump, jump, jump around.

Just remember, spring break season is right around the corner, which means now is the time to step up the fitness routine and start melting away those excess pounds. Try any of these fun exercise routines to get a head start on that spring body.