January is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month! If you have yet to be acquainted with the exhilaration that one can only experience by bombing down a mountain (or successfully tackling your first bunny hill) then now is the time to see what you’ve been missing! Snow sports are not only the single most fun way to take advantage of a winter day, but they are excellent exercise too. We don’t know about you, but our favorite ways to stay fit are by doing things we love, and during these months skiing and snowboarding top the list. They work a lot of muscles that don’t get worked everyday, and they burn up a ton of calories. An adult that weighs 110-200 pounds can burn 250-630 calories during an uninterrupted hour (not including the time spent in the lift lines) of recreational snowboarding and 700-1,260 calories per uninterrupted hour of rigorous or competitive boarding. A 155 pound adult skier will burn an average of 352-563 calories per hour when downhill skiing. If cross country skiing is your sport, then a light one hour sesh will clock in about 493 calories, and a vigorous hour will burn about 985 calories. Seems like a win-win to us. Spend a day doing something awesome, and get your workout in without even realizing it! Check out this calculator to find out how many calories you can burn snowboarding, or this one if you’re a skier. A healthy active lifestyle is the best cancer prevention, so take advantage of this holiday weekend to get out onto the mountain and Be Healthy. Get Active. Ride!
