You might love holidaying amidst snow-covered mountains or live in a place that’s covered with snow all the time. Either way, you’d be open to skiing and want to try the sport.
Well, there are some snow-covered areas that are not apt for skiing, so you need to figure out what works for you to learn this up. Skiing could become a relevant exercise option for winter months and give you several physical and mental benefits. Here, we’d tell you the best reasons why skiing could be a sport you should take up.
Table of Contents
Benefits of taking up skiing as a sport
Find out how skiing improves your health and fitness and why you should do it more often:
1. Improves your proprioception
Proprioception is one’s ability to understand their body movements and the effort that goes into doing so. For example, if you close your eyes with both your palm, you cannot see anything through. But you already know that your hands are on your eyes as you’re aware of the position. Skiing involves balance and coordination, and you need to be well aware of your movements.
Unlike swimming sessions, where you can feel the depth of water (as long as you don’t move towards the deeper side), it can be difficult to examine the depth of snow. This happens also because you cannot see through the snow, as you can through the clear water.
To be able to be on your feet, you have to have great body balance. As you start learning this sport, it improves your body balance. Note that the ability of proprioception reduces with age. Thus, learning this sport at a young age can help you continue until you’re elderly.
2. Makes bones and joints strong
Your knees feel all the weight and the tension of your body. The impact is intense when you’re moving downhill. Now, this movement makes your knees stronger if you ski often. They also make your bones strong as it offers a weight-bearing impact on the legs.
Skiing will make you feel fantastic as you glide through the icy cold snow at present. But once you age, you’d find your knees prevent conditions like osteoporosis as you used to ski when young.
3. Boosts your mind
There are many exercises that we choose only because we need to have a minimum level of physical activity. However, exercises and sports like skiing and swimming make you feel good and boost well-being.
Skiing makes your mood lighter and boosts your physical and mental health. Irrespective of how long your ski every day, this activity will give you a sense of joy every time.
4. Improve cardiovascular endurance
Skiing is one of the best aerobic activities that keep your spirit high even when you’re intensely exercising. The sport makes you burn a lot of calories and lose weight, even if you don’t sweat due to the climatic condition.
Many people living in cold areas turn to ski to do their regular cardio exercise. Even beginners can benefit from improving heart and lung condition. People scared to try the sport can hike up a slope in order to maintain cardio routines. However, we’d recommend you to try skiing at least once and challenge yourself to do what you think you can’t.
5. Improves lower body muscles
Skiing needs you to squat almost all through and that makes you work on your thighs, quads, hamstrings, and glutes. The surrounding beauty often distracts your mind even when you’re focused on the slopes in front. But that might not let you concentrate on how your leg burns! It is true that the exercise will make you feel pain the following day. Once you get used to it, skiing won’t hurt anymore.
6. Enhances balance and core strength
Skiing needs you to maintain a body balance and that engage your core all the time. The sport also challenges your agility and helps you fend off falls or slips when you age. Any exercise that involves your core helps you maintain better balance.
7. Helps you sleep better
Skiing is pretty exhausting, especially because it works on your entire body. Once you start skiing, you will be able to fight your probable sleeping problems. Many people suffering from acute insomnia are suggested to do intense cardio as it induces sleep. If you face this problem, you can ask your doctor if skiing could help.
8. Enhances flexibility
If you feel that your body is not flexible enough right now, wait till you start skiing properly. The exercise works on every part of your body and eventually makes you more flexible. It also prevents conditions like muscle sprains and strains.
Beginners are recommended to go through an exercise routine before they ski downwards. You must follow a thorough stretching routine that focuses on your core, muscle groups, abdominals, hips, and obliques when you start skiing downward. A body that is not exercised well, might find it difficult to ski downward.
9. Urges you to eat well
When you wake up after exhausting yourself from skiing, you will want to eat food that charges you up. If it is during lunchtime, you need to refuel yourself with a recovery meal. You have to concentrate on protein, fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and more.
10. Reduces stress
Many people exercise to fight the daily level of stress they feel at home or work. If you indulge yourself in natural beauty and go skiing regularly, you will find your body and mind relaxed. It is one of the exercises that can help you reduce stress and calm your senses. The exercise also exposes you to Vitamin D from the morning sun and boosts up your mood.
Final thoughts
Skiing is definitely one of the challenging sports because you don’t know where the ground is! However, it is extremely adventurous and helpful. You must carry the right gear to help yourself ski better.
Make sure you take all the necessary precautions and learn the sport well before trying it alone. It can get risky for beginners to not have people around when they’re skiing.
