Winter sports to try out this year

28 September 2017

You might think that the onset of winter is the time when your exercise routine should be taken indoors and kept there. However, that's not necessarily the case, as there are various winter sports that you can try. Why not sample the following ways of getting active while making good use of the snow and ice outside?

You might think that the onset of winter is the time when your exercise routine should be taken indoors and kept there. However, that's not necessarily the case, as there are various winter sports that you can try.

So, rather than simply get out that Downton Abbey DVD boxset and settle down in front of the TV, why not sample the following ways of getting active while making good use of the snow and ice outside? Even as the cold arrives, your exercising can hot up...

Cross-country skiing

If slimming down is a particularly big priority for you, then consider that cross-country skiing beats nearly every other activity for calorie-burning, according to WebMD. It is also among the most effective sports for building endurance, Miami neurologist Stephen Olvey has revealed.

Nonetheless, when deciding for how long you should ski, stay on the conservative side. You should also remember to wear clothes that preserve your warmth and let you easily move around.

Snowboarding

This is another good calorie-burner - and that perhaps shouldn't surprise since this activity works many different parts of the body. Guiding the board, for example, is demanding on the calf muscles, quadriceps and hamstrings, while ankle and foot muscles are involved in steering.

Still, be careful not to head onto terrain that you could easily struggle to handle with your current snowboarding skills. Also, don't forget to wear a helmet and elbow and wrist guards.

Ice skating

Lower-body muscles are especially tested by this exercise which remains low-impact - assuming that you don't often make jumps while you are skating. If you do fit jumps into the routine, however, those can help build bone mass.

Exactly how your body changes due to ice skating can depend on exactly how you skate. For instance, you can expect larger thighs if you skate speedily or a stronger upper body if you are a man who often lifts a partner.

Ice hockey

If you love the sociable side of exercising, then you should certainly consider ice hockey. The Institute for Hockey Research's director, Michael Bracko, has enthused: "It's fun in the dressing room before getting on the ice, and it's usually an absolute riot after the game. Everyone is having fun and making jokes and making fun of each other."

This sport also exercises abdominal muscles - which you will need to use for keeping your balance - plus the upper body, on which you will rely for moving the hockey stick.

Curling

One of the more unorthodox forms of winter sport, this is where you would slide big stones across an ice sheet to try bringing them to a target.

If you have ever watched other people doing curling, consider that it isn't necessarily as easy as it looks. Like with golf, accuracy is key to a successful outcome, notes USA TODAY.  

Once trying these sports has gotten you more active, you could build on those efforts by joining one of the fitness boot camps that our staff here at Prestige Boot Camp run.