Skiing, Snowboarding, Winter Sports
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Which Winter Sport Is Right for You?
As a top athlete or sportsperson, whether professional, amateur, or retired, there’s a constant need to keep in shape. Whether as a requirement for your profession or because it’s who you are, those periods of inactivity — off-seasons, injury recovery, or family and business commitments — can test you physically and mentally.
Whether you’re a single sporting pro or a married retired athlete, you can combine your time off or family vacations with some activity that keeps you in shape. What better place to retain or regain your mental and physical strength than in the mountains, with the ski slopes at your beck and call?
To make the most of such a trip away, consider which winter sport would suit your needs best and get busy from your arrival at your vacation base. If you can’t get away, look for winter sports options at your local ice rink. Either way, there’s something you can do to maintain or improve your physical and mental fitness.
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is an ideal way to boost or maintain fitness levels if you want to train by engaging your core muscles. You’ll also improve coordination and balance while increasing your flexibility. Staying on the board means burning as many as 630 calories every hour. Of course, if you’re a first-time snowboarder, you may have challenges keeping vertical to start, but as an experienced athlete, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.
Skateboarders and mountain bikers will likely find the transition from summer to winter easier. However, once you’re staying upright, you’ll see your mood improve, and any stress and anxiety will begin slipping away. Snowboarding is an excellent sport to keep your body and mind in shape over periods of inactivity. Watch those sore muscles afterward, though. Grab a salt bath or a massage if you can.
Downhill Skiing
Try downhill skiing if you’re looking to boost your core and abs while simultaneously exercising your thighs, hamstrings, glutes, and quads. Being in a cold weather setting does wonders for your endurance levels, and you might appreciate that if you’re out on the slopes for several hours at a time. You can also burn around 600 calories per hour over a challenging day on the slopes.
If you’re with the family, spend some time with your kids, helping them get the hang of things. Family time provides a valuable social element that’ll lift your mood and improve your mental attitude when you enthusiastically hit the downhills later for the physical benefits. If you’re with friends, that social element will be even more evident, and the competitive nature of the skiing itself will make you feel emotionally at home.
Generally, the ski season runs from around October to May, depending on where you’ll be skiing, but it’s worth noting that the experience can be affected by what time of year you hit the slopes. Early in the season, you’ll likely find less snowfall, whereas the snow will take on a more slushy consistency as the weather warms in early spring.
Cross-Country Skiing
More experienced skiers might consider activities beyond the ski slope, such as venturing onto the scenic mountainside, for the proper leg, quad, and glute exercise from cross-country skiing. Every step you propel forward also works your outer thigh abductors, and the constant pole movement exercises your upper back, shoulders, biceps, and triceps.
Expert swimmers will find cross-country skiing invaluable for the cardio workout it delivers, with the shoulder stability work being especially valuable. With calorie burn at between 700 and 1,000 per hour during high-intensity cross-country sessions, it’s an invaluable exercise for most top athletes, and you’ll feel so mentally sustained afterward.
As an amateur athlete, if you discover an affinity for cross-country skiing, it’s a perfect way to raise the bar and your fitness levels. The International Ski Federation gathers points over qualifying events, so opportunities to ski cross-country nationally and internationally exist in several categories.
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is not easy, but it offers athletes recovering from injuries a lower-impact exercise. It’s walking, but up or down hills covered in deep snow, so the workout concentrates on your calves, thighs, and abs. Using poles, you can add some upper body work to that list. If you’re heading out at a competitive rate, you could burn as many hourly calories as a downhill skier.
Choose snowshoes that support your weight for even distribution, and test them before venturing out. Otherwise, you might have a more strenuous workout than anticipated, and sinking into the snow could risk your recovery status. Besides being suitable for recovering athletes, snowshoeing is also perfect for runners who want to keep their lower-body strength up to par.
Ice Hockey
Suppose you missed the trip to the mountains. In that case, some other sports will keep you fit and adrenaline-filled during the winter break, especially if your regular sport resembles a field activity like soccer, field hockey, or lacrosse. Ice hockey’s blistering pace builds cardio endurance while eating through the calories at an incredible rate.
Coordination is also a prime factor in field sports, with ice hockey encouraging this in bucketloads. Its fast-paced action will bolster your metabolism so much that it’ll take a while to normalize after the game ends. A warning, though — if you’re unfamiliar with the game, take time to familiarize yourself with the rules, expect some balance-threatening body checking, and play with and against others on a similar level as you. Ice hockey is not for the fainthearted.
Ice Skating
If ice hockey doesn’t sound like an extramural activity for you as a summer field sports specialist, consider ice skating a sedate alternative. Again, you don’t need to be near a ski slope to find a rink. Ice skating is an easier way to get an excellent cardio workout without feeling overexercised.
You won’t burn nearly the same number of calories as on the hockey rink, but it’s terrific for improving balance while toning calves and thighs. Additionally, ice skating’s cardio workout trains your anaerobic and aerobic systems and strengthens your core and posterior.
Enjoy the Winter Doing the Sport That Works for You
Whether on the ski slope or the ice rink, you can keep fit and ready to resume your summer activities once your vacation or winter break passes. Many winter sports will work in the specific areas you desire. Keep positive and motivated during your off time by exercising and doing something different while you can!
