Five Reasons to Take Up a Winter Sport
Post on: 2011-11-02 By: admin
For many people, winter means the end of outdoor sports and recreation until spring. However, there is no reason outdoor fun has to end just because the weather turns cold.
There are many good reasons to take up a winter sport, and here are my top five:
Simply put, winter sports can be a blast. I love the exhilarating feeling of cruising down a ski trail or learning a new snowboarding trick. And if action sports aren't your cup of tea, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are more peaceful alternatives. Indeed, these sports can be relaxing ways to take in the beautiful sights of winter.
Doctors recommend getting 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week, and winter sports are a perfect way to get them. In fact, when I spend one hour cross-country skiing, I get a great cardio workout and burn over 500 calories. Even downhill skiing is good exercise, as an hour burns over 450 calories for a 200-pound person.
If you want to fuel your competitive spirit, there are plenty of winter sports to fill it. You can find a local hockey league, or if you're like me and are not a great ice skater, you can check out broomball. Solo sports can be made competitive, too. When I cross-country ski, I sometimes try to beat my speed and distance records. If you are creative, you can find a way to make almost any winter activity competitive.
Sometimes winter gives me cabin fever, but nothing breaks me out of a funk like going outside and participating in a sport. Also, some people get a type of depression in the winter called seasonal affective disorder, and getting outside into the sun is a proven treatment for it.
Winter sports can be excellent social events. Doing a team sport is a great way to meet new people and build long-lasting friendships. And even non-team sports can be social. After all, half the fun of skiing is talking with friends over hot chocolate in the lodge at the end of the day. Also, it's a great time to have a conversation when doing a quiet sport like snowshoeing.
Floyd Saunders is a native of snowy Minnesota . He has been a downhill and cross-country skier since childhood, and he has dabbled in snowboarding, snowshoeing, hockey, and ice fishing.
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Updated Oct 26, 1:23 pm EDT
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