Fact Sheet
Schussing into Shape
Those who ski and live in Colorado have long known winter sports are some of the best ways to maintain an active, healthy lifestyle, and now the proof is in the powder. A recently released Harvard study shows the top seven U.S. counties with the greatest average life expectancy, 81.3 years, are all in Colorado - Clear Creek, Eagle, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Park and Summit. Coincidentally, these mountain communities are also home to 10 ski resorts, further proof that skiing and snowboarding help people live long and healthy lives.
Read on for the inside track to what the locals have known for ages: the benefits of skiing and riding and how to get into shape for a winter of fun.
The Vitals
According to Winter Feels Good, a program developed to show how
non-motorized winter sports can help adults and children achieve
health and fitness, snow sports are an excellent way to maintain a
fitness program during the winter because they help develop aerobic
capacity and muscle strength, not to mention burn
calories.
Downhill Skiing Fitness Benefits (WinterFeelsGood.org)
• Downhill skiing is an excellent form of aerobic exercise,
enabling skiers to raise and maintain their heart rates for at
least 15 minutes.
• Skiing is also an anaerobic exercise that increases strength
and ability to sustain short bursts of exertion. Skiing bumps and
short-radius turns all rely on power and stamina.
• Skiing relies on coordination, balance and flexibility,
benefits that allow for a more dynamic range of motion and
ultimately, a better technique.
• Downhill skiing works the leg muscles, especially hamstrings
and quadriceps.
• Abdominal muscles are used to control body posture during
each run, ultimately making them stronger.
• The triceps are used for accurate and strong poling
maneuvers, conditioning these muscles over time for greater
fitness.
• A 130-lb adult burns approximately 295 calories/hr while a
190-lb adult burns approximately 431 calories/hr skiing downhill
with light effort, while each will burn 354 calories/hr and 518
calories/hr, respectively, while skiing downhill with moderate
effort, and 472 calories/hr and 690 calories/hr, respectively,
while skiing with vigorous effort.
Snowboarding Fitness Benefits (WinterFeelsGood.org)
• Snowboarding uses a variety of muscles including the
hamstrings and quadriceps to guide the board, start it in motion
and to stop.
• Snowboarding requires strong calf muscles which are used to
coordinate toe-side traverses down the mountain.
• Abdominal muscles are used to provide strength and
stability.
• Ankle and feet muscles are used for steering and
balance.
• A 110-200-lb adult burns approximately 250-630 calories/hr
while snowboarding recreationally, while a 110-200-lb adult burns
approximately 700-1260 calories/hr while snowboarding
competitively.
Urban Exercise Regimen from Chris Anthony
Chris Anthony, extreme skier and CSCUSA ambassador, suggests ways
to get fit for the ski season. When Chris is not busy
traveling the globe with the Warren Miller Team, he heads up
specialized camps through "Chris Anthony Adventures" in Cordova,
Alaska, Italy, Beaver Creek and Vail and serves as co-host at the
"Camp of Superstars" in Portillo, Chile. A Colorado native
and long-time Vail resident, staying fit is Chris'
specialty.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Adults often cling to a singular workout regimen. Stepping
the stairmaster two hours a day will keep your cardiovascular
system in shape, but sticking to one workout mode employs the same
muscle groups over and over again. The mountain may call for
more. To help get muscles ready for skiing or riding, vary
your physical activities to stimulate different muscle
groups. "The urban setting is made up of all sorts of
obstacles to play amongst for fitness needs. Or as most
adults would put it, 'work out on'," Chris proposes.
Grab That Gear and Go
Chris packs his sneakers and inline skates with him wherever he
goes, and he's on-the-go more than off, keeping up with his busy
travel schedule. Chris suggests, "No matter where I'm at, I
can find a bike path that usually leads to a park with a
playground. If there is not a bike path, then surface roads
become the route and sidewalks an obstacle course. The
journey alone increases balance and aerobic activity plus spatial
awareness."
Use What You've Got
Chris is a big kid at heart. Playground usage is another top
tip. "Most parks maintain a playground for the kids or a few
items like pull-up bars, sit-up benches and Plyometric
steps."
If a park is nowhere in site, utilize the city's staircases,
curbs and benches as workout equipment:
• Run steps
• Balance on parking blocks
• Dart along the top of walls
• Push-ups from park benches
• Pull-ups from a tree branch
• Plyos on a picnic table
So get creative and hit the streets, park, playground, whatever
you can find. That Colorado powder will never have felt so
good.
