He, father of Tangdou, the boy's common name, living in Linyi city, Shandong province, posted the video on 8/2. The video showed him and his son shaking hands on a deal: "For every like this video receives, you will have to jump rope that many times, whether it's 1,000 or 10,000 likes." Tangdou, 1,32 m tall and weighing 90 kg, nodded his agreement.
Initially, the video only garnered 150 likes, and Tangdou fulfilled the commitment easily. However, just one day later, interactions surged to 1.8 million. "My son and I could not have imagined the video would spread widely," He expressed his surprise.
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Tangdou jumps rope for weight loss. Photo: Jimu News |
Tangdou jumps rope for weight loss. Photo: Jimu News
He, a spicy hotpot restaurant owner, stated that Tangdou lived with his grandparents in Jiangsu and recently moved to live with his father during the winter break. The school assigned holiday homework of jumping rope 100 times daily. To encourage his son to exercise and lose weight, He offered a reward: 10 yuan (approximately 1.4 USD) for each kilogram of weight lost. Tangdou was excited and began practicing.
When likes reached 500,000, He joked with his son: "At this rate, you'll be jumping rope until you get married." Although Tangdou was hesitant, He decided to uphold his promise to teach his son a lesson about integrity. Currently, He adjusted the daily goal to 300 jumps, divided into multiple sessions, with Tangdou completing 100-200 jumps each time.
He affirmed that the purpose of posting the video was for his son's health: "I hope he can persevere and form good habits." Tangdou's story received encouragement from the online community, motivating the father and son's weight loss journey.
Health experts consider jump rope a comprehensive exercise, particularly beneficial for children who need to manage their weight. According to Harvard Medical School, a person weighing 56 kg can burn over 300 calories after 30 minutes of jumping rope, equivalent to 10 calories per minute. This number increases for heavier people. Moderate intensity jump rope in children is as effective as running but puts less impact on the body, helping to stimulate metabolism and reduce visceral fat through the coordination of large muscle groups.
Jump rope is also an effective weight-bearing exercise for growing children like Tangdou. Research in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research shows that gentle jumps create pressure on the skeletal frame, stimulating bone cell development, increasing bone density, and supporting height growth.
However, pediatricians and rehabilitation specialists advise that obese children experience pressure on their knee joints. Therefore, they should jump on soft surfaces such as exercise mats or wooden floors instead of concrete to reduce injury. Parents also should not force children to jump thousands of times immediately.
Instead, apply an interval training method: Jump for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds to allow the cardiovascular system to adapt. If the child shows signs of ankle pain or shortness of breath, they need to stop and consult a specialist to adjust their posture.
Binh Minh (According to HK01)
