Get in the Spirit of Summer Rollerblading

While the popularity of recreational rollerblading probably peaked somewhere in the 90s, the benefits of rollerblading for exercise have not diminished one bit. Here’s why you should consider including rollerblading in your summer exercise routine.

Effectiveness for Weight Loss

Rollerblading provides excellent cardio exercise. Like any cardio activity, the harder you work and the faster you go, the more calories you can burn. The average person will burn about 285 calories during a 30-minute rollerblading session, with a heart rate of 148 beats per minute. This is comparable to a running session, where the average calorie burn is 350 and the heart rate is about the same. The reason rollerblading burns a bit less calories is that you can glide while rollerblading, which is of course impossible to do while running.

Muscle Building

Often, people seeking to lose weight do so at the expense of muscle tissue. This is especially true for women, as studies have shown on http://connectedcongress.org/ the health and fitness hub website that women can lose 40 percent of their muscle tissue if they use diet alone to lose weight and do not also perform some type of exercise. If done vigorously, rollerblading can actually work the muscles in the whole body. It works the entire leg, right up to the glutes, as well as the arms and shoulders if you swing your arms while skating fast. The lower back also receives a workout if you skate with good posture. Doing an exercise like rollerblading while dieting can help you look toned and trim while you lose weight.

Low-Impact

Another big reason to add rollerblading to your workout is that it is very easy on the joints. People who have trouble running because of knee pain or injury often take to rollerblading and love it. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts have found that when people switch from running to rollerblading, they decrease the impact on their knees by 50 percent. Even if your joints are healthy now, you might consider adding rollerblading to your workout routine once or twice a week, to reduce stress on your knees and make sure they stay strong!

Rollerblading Workout Ideas

Rollerblading is the most fun when you do it outdoors in a scenic location. That’s why it’s so popular for summer! Many people enjoy skating along a beachside road or boardwalk. Paved bike paths can also be great places to skate. One downside of rollerblading is that because you can glide, you end up traveling a longer distance to burn the same amount of calories as you could burn by running. But if you are skating in a beautiful outdoor location, you won’t mind this at all. To boost the effectiveness of your workout, you can also add bursts of speed skating to your routine. Speed skating involves crouching, so it works different back muscles. Plus, you have to push off much harder with the legs and that burns extra calories. Skating uphill can also add some extra challenge to your summer rollerblading routine. Just make sure you have the skating skills needed to stay under control on the downhill side!

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