New Delhi, July 6 -- Before donning his black robe and stepping into the courtroom, Shravan Patel picks up something humbler than a gavel-a jump rope. A Hyderabad-based lawyer with little time and no gym membership, Patel swears by the few square feet in his living room and the rhythmic flick of a rope. "It charges my body, burns fat, boosts heart rate, keeps my joints mobile," he says. "And the best part? Ten minutes is enough."

Once dismissed as playground paraphernalia, the jump rope is undergoing a serious image makeover. From spine surgeons to cardiologists, health professionals are now prescribing it as a near-perfect exercise-low on cost, high on return, and surprisingly gentle on the joints. In a post-pandemic world where wellnes...