Tamsin Gray has been jump rope skipping since 2020 and has not looked back since.
Last month, the Ellon resident reached 14,000 followers on her Instagram account having been sharing videos of her new hobby since last year.
Speaking in celebration of National Skipping Day, she said it had so many benefits.
“It’s excellent for your core,” she explained. “It’s really good for your bone density and joint strength and has so many health benefits. The cardio aspect is insane, boxers do it for a reason.
“It’s just brilliant and it’s so much fun as well and there’s always things to learn and challenges to do.”
Amazed by the interest online
National Skipping Day has been celebrated since 2002 and aims to raise awareness for the health benefits of skipping.
For Mrs Gray, it all began when the 26-year-old started looking for something more to do during lockdown. She also wanted to help build her muscles more for long distance running.
Beginning doing five minutes of jumping for a few days a week, Mrs Gray said she can now easily do two hours without breaking a sweat.
She began to video her routines and her sister-in-law encouraged her to start sharing them online in July last year.
Since then the caseworker for SNP said she has been overwhelmed by the interest: “It’s crazy I can’t believe how much it’s spreading.”
“It’s mental to see how many people have an interest in it and like watching in.”
“I get a lot of messages asking how to start off or how to do a trick. Usually I tend to have some kind of advice because I’ve been there myself and trying to figure it all out but I just learned online myself.
“It’s just one of those skills that you can pick up anywhere and do anywhere as well so it’s lovely.”
Some people see skipping as a kid’s sport
While she has progressed a lot since she first started, Mrs Gray said she believes it is still important to share the mistakes made. Every Friday she shares her top “fails”.
She added: “There’s quite a lot of accounts out there and they just share the perfect things they can do.
“The really peak level tricks but then you think oh I don’t think I’ll ever get there because of my sessions don’t look like that. I think it is important to share it especially for people who are starting out and who want to see what the process is actually like.
“The 10 second clips that you see online that’s half an hour’s work that’s gone into that. So it is definitely a bit of a warped reality so it is nice to share the funny ones as well as the ones where things really do go wrong.”
“The majority are supportive, some people do struggle to see why adults do it but it is so much fun that I don’t really care that much.”
Mrs Gray will often go for walk in Ellon and take her jump rope in her pocket. Skipping by the beach or at carparks often gets a few strange looks but most people seem to enjoy watching and always ask questions.
‘Makes you find fun in life again’
For anyone who has thought about taking up the sport on National Skipping Day, Mrs Gray says not to hestitate.
“I would definitely say go for it,” she said. “Just pick up the rope, even if it’s just five minutes for a few days a week, you will it find it so much fun and it’s so good for your health.
“It makes me so happy doing it. A lot of people love music, and a lot of people love to dance but they don’t have the chance to in daily life and it’s an opportunity to do that while staying fit and it’s fantastic.
“I also find that if I don’t skip I tend to be grumpier. It’s my thinking time and time to switch off. Because I also work from home as well it’s a good way of ending my day.
“Even at the start, just going outside and jumping about and feeling like a fool but just for yourself is quite enjoyable. It makes you find fun in life again, there’s not a lot of things as an adult where you just have fun.”