Strap on Some Skates to Support Your Health

November 17, 2015

Most people understand that a nutritious and wholesome diet combined with daily exercise is the key to achieving supreme health. Although traditional activities such as running, cycling, gym classes, and cross training are all excellent ways to exercise – sometimes you feel the need to mix up your workout a bit. Choosing an activity that burns calories and builds muscle, all while having fun, is a great way to push through any exercise plateau – helping you maintain motivation.

ice skating

But what activity combines physical fitness, fun, and originality? The answer is… skating! Here are 5 reasons why skating impacts your health and benefits your fitness:

1. Skating is low-impact.

From ice-skating to roller-skating, skating is unexpectedly a low-impact sport. For those individuals with injuries or physical conditions, skating can be a great exercise alternative. Similar to running, skating is an aerobic exercise that builds leg strength, increases heart health, and burns calories but all without the aches and pains that develop from forcefully hitting the pavement. According to a study conducted at the University of Massachusetts, compared to running, skating causes less than 50 percent of the impact shock to joints.

2. Skating strengths your muscles.

Skating is completely dependent upon moving your arms and legs and stabilizing balance by strengthening your core. Although it might not feel like it during the activity, you are engaging in a full body, strength-building workout. Due to the gliding movement of the skates, many avoided areas of your leg muscles, such as the outside of your glutes, engage and strengthen. These areas would otherwise be avoided in an activity such as running.  As a hidden bonus, the skates attached to your feet act as mild weights, which may provide a form of resistance as you push forwards and backwards.

3.  Skating increases endurance.

Whether you are skating uphill or around a rink, skating can keep your heart rate pumping which is great for endurance training. Often hockey players will partake in skate drills in order to build endurance. For a high-intensity workout, grab a partner and trade off spiriting around a rink or up and down a hill. If you want more of a challenge or are a competitive skater, try timed speed intervals. For example, skate at 60 percent for two minutes, 80 percent for one minute, and 100 percent for a full 30 seconds. Rest for a minute and repeat this drill as many times as you can within 5 minutes.

4. Skating is great for burning calories.

Skating is an aerobic/cardio activity which stimulates the heart, allowing your calorie burning to add up quickly. Celebrity fitness trainer Holly Perkins suggests skating in short strides combined with a crouching down movement for maximum calorie burn. Doing this movement in a repeated circuit 5 times over the course of 45 minutes can burn and estimated 572 calories. Not only is it a great calorie burn but it also “…boosts your metabolism for several hours after the workout." says Perkins.

5. Skating is fun!

Skating is a fun, social activity that can be enjoyed by all ages. Cruising down bike paths or sidewalks in the summer, gathering at outdoor rinks with friends and family in the winter, or anytime at your local indoor skate rink; roller-skating, ice-skating, and blading can be incorporated into your workout routine year-round.

Skating is a serious cardio and strength building activity that will work your body unlike any other form of exercise. With a combined focus of core balance and leg and arm strength, you will build muscle, burn calories, lessen the stress on your joints, and most importantly, have fun while embracing a healthy lifestyle.