This past year, like a lot of people I know, I really got into watching the Winter Olympics. Some nights I found myself cheering for athletes competing in sports I’ve never even heard of before! Take, for example, the sport of skeleton. Competitors in skeleton lay face-first down on a luge sled and hurtle down a bobsled track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. The true challenge in the sport is that this little sled has no steering mechanisms; athletes steer through their body movements alone.
Of course, there are many of the standard events that I liked watching as well. This year, my favorites were:
• Snowboarding
• Alpine skiing
• Speed skating
• Biathalon
Watching all of the excitement on TV made me want to get out there and try out my own winter sports Olympic spirit. Of course, I’ll have to tone it down, as I haven’t had the years of intensive training that these athletes do. Here are a few sports that I've gotten involved with this past year.
Snowboarding. Okay, no laughing. I recently began learning how to snowboard and it’s certainly not a pretty sight out on the hills quite yet. However, snowboarding is a fantastic workout for your legs. In addition, snowboarding can help you increase your upper body strength and flexibility, due to quick changes in direction. In fact, one hour on your snowboard can help you burn 340 calories*!
Ice Skating. I can’t say that I’ve watched a lot of figure skating this year during the Winter Olympics. However, I do love hitting the local ice skating rink with some friends and spending some quality time on the ice, practicing my own speed skating skills. Ice skating is a low-impact activity that can really help you improve your balance. In one hour of ice time, you can expect to burn over 400 calories!
Cross Country Skiing. I’ve never had much success in downhill skiing. The smaller hills are manageable, but anything beyond the blue square hills are currently beyond my skill. I’ve always enjoyed cross country skiing, though. We have some beautiful trails here in western Wisconsin and I like to take advantage of them when I can. An hour of cross country skiing will burn about 476 calories – not a bad workout!
Did you watch the Winter Olympics this year? Take the poll below and let me know what your favorite sport was!
*Calorie burn based on 150-pound individual.
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