Isn’t the word Skiing resonating with excitement, fun, and thrill? Most of us have dreamt of going Skiing once in our life and have included this adventure activity in our bucket list. While many of us are aware of the fun and adventurous part of Skiing but not many of us are aware of the health benefits connected with Skiing. Skiing health benefits are myriad and the activity is considered good for both body and mind and is a great exercising alternative in winters.
Let us look at some health benefits of Skiing –
1. Skiing helps in strengthening the lower body muscles-
When Skiing your body automatically bends into a squat position, that aims at the lower muscles group of your body. Skiing helps in strengthening the lower muscles and joints of your body and also proves to be beneficial for your glutes, quads, outer and inner thighs, and your hamstrings. Skiing also helps you in working on your deep core stabilization, as during Skiing your core muscles help you in building balance. When Skiing your body indulges in extreme physical activity and you tend to feel tired but you often won’t realize you are in your workout mode as you will be surrounded by mountains all around and cold weather. So if you are wondering Is skiing healthy for you? The answer undoubtedly is ‘yes’.
2. Skiing also improves Proprioception –
If you don’t know what Proprioception is, the brief definition of the term goes something like this – Proprioception is an individual’s ability to feel various parts of the body and also to feel the efforts that go into moving body parts. In Skiing, one needs this skill abundantly as you would be required to develop balance and coordination to Ski, and for that, you should be aware of every slight movement of your body. That is why developing the skill of Proprioception is very essential in order to learn Skiing. Also when it comes to Proprioception, the skill starts weakening with age hence it is recommended to keep indulging in Proprioception activities like Skiing on a regular basis to prevent the skill from weakening.
3. Skiing helps in boosting your mood –
It often happens that people’s moods start shifting downwards during extreme winter. There can be several reasons behind this shift in moods like fewer chances to socialize with people outside and less exposure to the sun. In extreme cases, this shift in moods can also take a toll on an individual’s mental health and even lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D). S.A.D is considered a type of depression. Skiing can offer a rescue here as this adventure activity can prove out to be a great mood lifter during the cold winters. So when you glide down the snow-covered hills while Skiing your body starts uplifting your mood by releasing chemicals like adrenaline and endorphins and making you feel good. Chemicals like adrenaline and endorphin evoke the general feeling of well-being and happiness in your body. Also, Skiing exposes your body to the sun and naturally boosts your mood.
4. Skiing strengthens the bones and joints in your body –
Several times during Skiing, you require to glide downhill quickly. Those times your knees bear the weight and tension of your entire body. The downhill skiing health benefit is it helps in strengthening your knees. But it is not only your knee that extracts benefits from downhill Skiing. Your bones also become strong from the impact of enduring the entire body weight on your knees. Prevention of knee damage and osteoporosis is counted as the major health benefit of Skiing. So while you are having fun Skiing your body has fun too as it extracts health benefits and strength out of this physical activity.
5. Skiing helps with Sleep –
Now you know Skiing boost the release of chemicals like adrenaline and endorphins and helps you feel good and happy. Besides uplifting your mood and making you cheerful, Skiing also helps you with better quality of sleep. How Skiing does it is by making you feel drained and tired as all physical exercises do. And also by removing the feeling of anxiety and stress from your conscience. So after Skiing as soon as you hit the bed you fall into a good long sleep. Helping you with good quality sleep is counted as one of the top health benefits of Skiing.
6. Skiing improves the health of your heart –
The type of terrain you ski on is also important. Dr. Josef Niebauer’s research suggests that downhill Skiing is as great as many physical exercises like rowing workout and cycling. All types of downhill skiing and cross country skiing offer several cardio-metabolic health benefits to your body including improved body composition, glucose metabolism, and insulin resistance. Skiing also drops your heart rate, blood lipids, and your blood pressure. Skiing also gives new strength to your blood vessels and improves your cell health. So if you are wondering Is downhill skiing a good exercise? The above-stated facts claim it certainly is a good exercise.
In all terms, Skiing is a great adventure activity that not only refreshes your mood. But also offers several health benefits to your body. In present times of the Covid-19 pandemic, we all are trying to keep ourselves safe and our home clean and hygienic to protect ourselves from coronavirus, but make sure to include Skiing in your bucket list and try it once everything goes back to normal.
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