For Fun and Fitness
More than just the sun on your face and the wind in your hair, that refreshing skate down the beachfront does you more good than you think. Here’s a quick look at the benefits.
Just a breeze through the park? Think again
Inline skating as a form of exercise is as beneficial as running or cycling[1]. For a person weighing about 70Kg, skating at about 20km/h burns over 700 calories per hour[2]. That’s almost as effective as running at an exhausting 10km/h and more than twice as effective as brisk walking.[3].
The good without the bad
Because skating doesn’t pound your feet on the ground like running does, it has the aerobic benefits without the damage to your knees and back. The unique lateral (side-to-side) motion in skating exercises the adductor (inner thigh) and abductor (buttocks) muscles. These muscles are often ignored by other linear motion activities like running and cycling[4].
Almost an all round workout
While most of the action seems to happen under your feet, inline skating works an impressive array of muscles, some of them often ignored by most other sports. Here's the parts of your body skating works out: (Note: Some of these make you look good.
Source: Inline Skating And Its Role In Conditioning, Michael J. Mullin, ATC, PTA
It’s a social thing!
Try chatting with your jogging buddies fifteen minutes into the run without asphyxiating, or exchange gossip with your tennis buddy between the serves. Skating is one of the few sport that gives you a decent workout and still let you to catch up with your friends, partner, colleagues or family. On a somber day, you can just as easily skate alone to clear your head.
The truth is, most skaters don’t need a reason to skate. After you experience the thrill of self-powered speed and the pull of gravity on a downhill stretch, its hard not to think about it whenever there is sunshine. As a skate saying goes, fun is never more than two feet away. And in case you need equipment, take a look at the 2008 Fitness/Training collection from K2 and Bont.
Sources:
1: Dr. Carl Foster, associate professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin Medical School and coordinator of sports medicine and sports science for the United States Speed Skating Team
2: Inline-skating Calorie Usage Chart, University of Massachusetts/Rollerblade Fitness Study
3.Calories Burned During Exercise, www.nutristrategy.com
4: Inline Skating Provides Fitness Benefits for Your Body and Mind, Inline Skate Into a Healthy Lifestyle! Carlesa Williams