Skiing for Fitness

The world's most popular winter sport is a beloved recreational activity, but for many it is also a strenuous form of exercise, with plenty of enthusiasts skiing for fitness each season. An effective way to burn calories, skiing for fitness is also a great way to stretch and strengthen muscles. It also improves balance and coordination and is a welcome addition to an exercise regime. Requiring a certain level of strength and aerobic ability, skiing for fitness is a great form of cardiovascular exercise that can also be enjoyed with friends and family.

 

Skiing for fitness can be as leisurely or as strenuous as you make it, and is an excellent way for skiers of all ages to stay healthy. Downhill skiing is the most popular choice for most, and requires a certain level of balance, strength and endurance. Skiing for fitness is a great way to strengthen leg muscles, particularly in the thighs and around the knees, as well as help with joint mobility. Mogul skiing is a particularly effective form of skiing for fitness, being perhaps the most challenging and difficult to endure. Navigating bumps specifically works quad, hamstring abdominal and gluteal muscles, with this form of skiing for fitness enabling skiers to burn almost 900 calories per hour. Cross-country skiing is another form of challenging winter exercise and can be extremely strenuous, working the arms extensively as well as the legs, but having the added advantage of being a low-risk sport for injuries.

 

For those who choose skiing for fitness, obviously one week each winter is not enough, with many visiting their local dry ski slopes to keep in shape between each trip to the mountains, and perfect their skiing skills during the season. There are many exercise regimes and conditioning programmes specially designed for skiers to undergo, at home or in the gym, which help to prepare both joints and muscles for the workout received whilst skiing for fitness. Correct maintenance of equipment is of special importance whilst enjoying skiing for fitness and skiers should remember to drink lots of water whilst exercising, as well as warm up and stretch properly. Resorts with short transfers are a good choice for skiing for fitness, such as Chamonix, Flaine, Morzine and Les Gets, which all offer the chance for weekend skiing breaks and multiple winter trips.