| Skating is not only super fun, it's good for you too! |
Fitness Skating
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The Health Benefits of Skating
Fitness Skating
The term “Fitness Skating” is defined as skating for the specific purpose of
improving ones physical and mental fitness. Henceforth I will use the term; “Fitness
Skating” when discussing the extraordinary opportunities fitness skating offers to
improve a person’s physical and mental fitness. Let’s start by examining some of
the physical fitness aspects of fitness skating.
Physical Benefits of Fitness Skating
Aerobic Benefits:
You can achieve a superior cardiovascular workout while fitness skating. With
fitness skating, you will experience all of the outstanding aerobic benefits of running
or jogging, without the pounding associated with running and jogging; this is a big
plus for a lot of people. The absence of this pounding makes fitness skating far less
stressful on your knees and other joints. You can significantly increase the intensity
of the aerobic benefits of fitness skating by continually swinging your arms in
concert with your legs. To attain the maximum aerobic workout, it is worth noting that
you must keep moving; coasting will diminish the cardio benefits that can be gained
from fitness skating. The two types of skating that offers the best fitness skating
opportunities are inline skating and ice skating.
Lose Weight:
Fitness skating provides for an unbelievable weight lose opportunity. The key to
losing weight by fitness skating is time, distance and continual skating. When
talking about time I am referring to how much time you spend fitness skating per day
or week. Can you lose weight by skating 30 minutes a day three times a week?
Yes, but imagine how much more weight you could lose if you skate 100 minutes a
day, three or four times a week.
When referring to distance, I am talking about how far you fitness skate. If you are
taking 30 minutes to go one mile then you will likely not lose any weight - but the
upside is that your wheels or blades will last forever! In order to maximize your
weight loss potential while fitness skating, you have to travel some distance. If you
are fortunate enough to have access to a place where you can consistently skate -
determine the distance, and time yourself as you skate that distance, then always try
to beat your time. For example, skate for 5 miles without stopping and time yourself.
Take a short break, then turn around and time yourself coming back. Each time you
skate using this route, try to beat the previous times.
Finally, let’s discuss continual skating. When I refer to continual skating, I am talking
about fitness skating without stopping. Unfortunately, if you are inline skating, you
may have to stop to cross roads, or maneuver around other obstacles, but aside
from these unavoidable stops, you need to keep moving. At first you may not be
able to go very far without stopping, but don’t worry about it. If you are persistent, in
time, you will be able to travel great distances without stopping. Don’t be in a hurry.
Take your time and start out slowly as you work on expanding your time, distance,
and ability fitness skate continually.
Endurance:
Fitness skating provides a superior method for building a person’s endurance. The
key to building endurance through fitness skating is to maintain a constant and
steady pace, over a period of time, and over a specific distance. You cannot build
up much endurance if you are only traveling short distances before stopping. With
that said, start out with short distances and increase the distance over time. The
same holds true for the time you spend fitness skating. If you only spend 15 minutes
fitness skating a couple of times a week, you will probably not see an increase in
your endurance. With that said, remember - build your endurance slowly.
Muscle Toning:
Fitness skating provides an excellent method for toning your muscles. The major
muscles worked when fitness skating are the legs - specifically the quadriceps and
hamstrings. However, your entire body will benefit particularly your lower back and
abs. How does it help the abs? The abdominals' purpose is to work in concert with
the many muscles in the back to allow us to walk upright. For comparison, the next
time you pet a cat or dog you will notice their abdominal wall is distinctly non-
muscular with almost no muscle definition. This is a direct result of them not walking
upright. Contrastingly, they have significant muscle mass in their shoulders and
hunches, which is exactly what you need to walk on all fours. Knowing this fact, it
should be obvious that the best exercises for abs are those that involve upright
movement and fitness skating definitely meets this criteria.
Mental Benefits of Fitness Skating
Fitness skating can do wonders when it comes to increasing your mental fitness.
Fitness skating offers a significant opportunity to engage in a physical activity that
gives you a break from life’s daily stressor's. This break from these day to day
stressor's can go a long way in making life’s problems not seem so overwhelming.
Fitness skating cannot change the circumstances in your life, but it can help you
better deal with those circumstances. If fitness skating outdoors, you will be
exposed to fresh air and hopefully sunshine. In today’s society, most people spend
too much time indoors. Outside fitness skating offers an escape from the daily
(indoor) grind, and provides the fresh air and sunshine that your body and mind
needs.
Self-Confidence:
For children and adults alike, fitness skating can increase a person’s self-
confidence by strengthening their mental and physical condition. Physically, fitness
skating is an activity that requires body control and balance. For some people body
control and balance will come naturally and be relatively easy. For others, these
aspects may be more challenging and require an increased level of determination
and commitment. Regardless of which category you are in, fitness skating can
increase your self-confidence as you become a proficient skater.
Increased Mental Control:
Fitness skating also requires good mental control (alertness, awareness, ability to
react) to adjust to various circumstances and to the surroundings. If you spend time
fitness skating each week, whether you are new to skating or a long time skater, you
will be challenged mentally. Overcoming these challenges (rocks, ruts, hills, curves,
cars, sidewalks, other skaters, bicycles, etc) will be easier for some, and more
challenging for others, but again everyone can benefit from the increased level of
mental control.
Speed Skating:
Finally, you have speed skating which is an outstanding method of fitness skating.
Speed skating is basically racing against other skaters, or the clock on inline or ice
skates. Inline and ice speed skating provides the skater a truly superior
cardiovascular workout. Please make note that you don't have to speed skate
competitively, or even race someone else to enjoy the outstanding physical results
that can be gained from speed skating. Find a place where you can consistently
and safely skate at higher than normal speeds, and you can experience an
exhilarating fitness skating workout!
Information Taken From: www.skatingfitness.com
Fitness Skating
The term “Fitness Skating” is defined as skating for the specific purpose of
improving ones physical and mental fitness. Henceforth I will use the term; “Fitness
Skating” when discussing the extraordinary opportunities fitness skating offers to
improve a person’s physical and mental fitness. Let’s start by examining some of
the physical fitness aspects of fitness skating.
Physical Benefits of Fitness Skating
Aerobic Benefits:
You can achieve a superior cardiovascular workout while fitness skating. With
fitness skating, you will experience all of the outstanding aerobic benefits of running
or jogging, without the pounding associated with running and jogging; this is a big
plus for a lot of people. The absence of this pounding makes fitness skating far less
stressful on your knees and other joints. You can significantly increase the intensity
of the aerobic benefits of fitness skating by continually swinging your arms in
concert with your legs. To attain the maximum aerobic workout, it is worth noting that
you must keep moving; coasting will diminish the cardio benefits that can be gained
from fitness skating. The two types of skating that offers the best fitness skating
opportunities are inline skating and ice skating.
Lose Weight:
Fitness skating provides for an unbelievable weight lose opportunity. The key to
losing weight by fitness skating is time, distance and continual skating. When
talking about time I am referring to how much time you spend fitness skating per day
or week. Can you lose weight by skating 30 minutes a day three times a week?
Yes, but imagine how much more weight you could lose if you skate 100 minutes a
day, three or four times a week.
When referring to distance, I am talking about how far you fitness skate. If you are
taking 30 minutes to go one mile then you will likely not lose any weight - but the
upside is that your wheels or blades will last forever! In order to maximize your
weight loss potential while fitness skating, you have to travel some distance. If you
are fortunate enough to have access to a place where you can consistently skate -
determine the distance, and time yourself as you skate that distance, then always try
to beat your time. For example, skate for 5 miles without stopping and time yourself.
Take a short break, then turn around and time yourself coming back. Each time you
skate using this route, try to beat the previous times.
Finally, let’s discuss continual skating. When I refer to continual skating, I am talking
about fitness skating without stopping. Unfortunately, if you are inline skating, you
may have to stop to cross roads, or maneuver around other obstacles, but aside
from these unavoidable stops, you need to keep moving. At first you may not be
able to go very far without stopping, but don’t worry about it. If you are persistent, in
time, you will be able to travel great distances without stopping. Don’t be in a hurry.
Take your time and start out slowly as you work on expanding your time, distance,
and ability fitness skate continually.
Endurance:
Fitness skating provides a superior method for building a person’s endurance. The
key to building endurance through fitness skating is to maintain a constant and
steady pace, over a period of time, and over a specific distance. You cannot build
up much endurance if you are only traveling short distances before stopping. With
that said, start out with short distances and increase the distance over time. The
same holds true for the time you spend fitness skating. If you only spend 15 minutes
fitness skating a couple of times a week, you will probably not see an increase in
your endurance. With that said, remember - build your endurance slowly.
Muscle Toning:
Fitness skating provides an excellent method for toning your muscles. The major
muscles worked when fitness skating are the legs - specifically the quadriceps and
hamstrings. However, your entire body will benefit particularly your lower back and
abs. How does it help the abs? The abdominals' purpose is to work in concert with
the many muscles in the back to allow us to walk upright. For comparison, the next
time you pet a cat or dog you will notice their abdominal wall is distinctly non-
muscular with almost no muscle definition. This is a direct result of them not walking
upright. Contrastingly, they have significant muscle mass in their shoulders and
hunches, which is exactly what you need to walk on all fours. Knowing this fact, it
should be obvious that the best exercises for abs are those that involve upright
movement and fitness skating definitely meets this criteria.
Mental Benefits of Fitness Skating
Fitness skating can do wonders when it comes to increasing your mental fitness.
Fitness skating offers a significant opportunity to engage in a physical activity that
gives you a break from life’s daily stressor's. This break from these day to day
stressor's can go a long way in making life’s problems not seem so overwhelming.
Fitness skating cannot change the circumstances in your life, but it can help you
better deal with those circumstances. If fitness skating outdoors, you will be
exposed to fresh air and hopefully sunshine. In today’s society, most people spend
too much time indoors. Outside fitness skating offers an escape from the daily
(indoor) grind, and provides the fresh air and sunshine that your body and mind
needs.
Self-Confidence:
For children and adults alike, fitness skating can increase a person’s self-
confidence by strengthening their mental and physical condition. Physically, fitness
skating is an activity that requires body control and balance. For some people body
control and balance will come naturally and be relatively easy. For others, these
aspects may be more challenging and require an increased level of determination
and commitment. Regardless of which category you are in, fitness skating can
increase your self-confidence as you become a proficient skater.
Increased Mental Control:
Fitness skating also requires good mental control (alertness, awareness, ability to
react) to adjust to various circumstances and to the surroundings. If you spend time
fitness skating each week, whether you are new to skating or a long time skater, you
will be challenged mentally. Overcoming these challenges (rocks, ruts, hills, curves,
cars, sidewalks, other skaters, bicycles, etc) will be easier for some, and more
challenging for others, but again everyone can benefit from the increased level of
mental control.
Speed Skating:
Finally, you have speed skating which is an outstanding method of fitness skating.
Speed skating is basically racing against other skaters, or the clock on inline or ice
skates. Inline and ice speed skating provides the skater a truly superior
cardiovascular workout. Please make note that you don't have to speed skate
competitively, or even race someone else to enjoy the outstanding physical results
that can be gained from speed skating. Find a place where you can consistently
and safely skate at higher than normal speeds, and you can experience an
exhilarating fitness skating workout!
Information Taken From: www.skatingfitness.com
| Come and have fun at Skate Zone, with the entire family. Thursday - Sunday. We Are Located 1/2 mile South from McDonald's pass The Church of the Frescoes on the right. 498 Beaver Creek School Rd. In West Jefferson, NC |
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