Looking for a way to workout but not feel like you’re working out?

Do you enjoy skiing? Or cross-training?

Do you like music? Or dancing? Or going outside? Feeling the wind in your hair?

Inline skating might be your reason for you to lose your gym membership

and take your fitness routine wherever and whenever you want!

Here are some reasons why rollerblading is so good for you.

Inline skating is one of the top aerobic exercises. It can help you reduce your chances of getting heart disease by increasing your heart rate to 140-160 beats per minute. Aggressive inline skaters can even increase their heart rate to 180 beats per minute. Increasing your heart rate will lower your cholesterol, help you burn more calories, and move oxygen and blood to your muscles more efficiently.

Strength training and aerobic exercise are the two key factors to manage or prevent diabetes. Inline skating involves both of these forms of exercise! It also relieves stress, lowers blood glucose levels and lowers your cholesterol. Just 5 days a week of 30 minutes of skating per day could take you out of risk for diabetes

Inline skating has similar benefits to exercises such as running but it doesn’t give you the same fatigue. Instead of jerky movements damaging your joints, you are strengthening your joints and improving your bone density with fluid motion. Even though falling on skates is not uncommon, roller sports still have 50% less impact than running according to a study held at the University of Massachusetts that was conducted in 1996. If you are skating safely, and listening to your body, you will see many more benefits than injuries.

On average, skating at 6mph can burn 6 calories per minute resulting in 360 calories an hour. A 200-lbs person at the same rate could burn 1,363 calories an hour. These calories burned are turning into muscle as you go, so that you can get stronger and go further making it a great cross-training exercise. Although most low-impact aerobics receive a score of 5.0 METs (metabolic equivalent of task) inline skating ranges from 7.4-15 METs, depending on how fast you are going. Even at 7.4 METs qualifies skating as a great workout and is just a little higher of a score compared to a general jog.

This exercise forces you to focus on your center of gravity to maintain balance. Your center of gravity is held primarily in your core, but you will also be using the rest of your body to achieve this balance. Your lower back, abdomen, and legs will all work together to stabilize yourself on your skates. Improving your balance also improves your coordination and since you’re moving so quickly your instincts will eventually ignite your agility. Making your response to your wheel-shoes faster as you progress.

This sport reaches a wide variety of muscles along your spine and pelvis that most sports do not reach. It’s great for your gluteus maximus, which is the largest muscle on the human body. When you push your legs to the side you are also reaching the outside of your glutes. Leaning over and bending your knees engages your core, back, and you can engage your arms. You can also heal your back from muscular imbalance with this muscular toning, which will relieve back pain. Overall, all of your muscles are engaged so that your body is balancing and striding forwards, or backwards! You are training your body to have endurance, stronger immunity, and reducing your risk of osteoporosis by strengthening your bones as well.

Skating helps you release endorphins, endocannabinoids, serotonin, dopamine while reducing depressive hormones. The release of endorphins is known to help with concentration, relieve headaches and make you happy. The release of endocannabinoids can reduce inflammation, pain and potentially prevent illnesses such as arthritis, heart disease, and cancer.

With more blood flow and more oxygen reaching your brain studies show that physical exercise increases your neuron survival and results in neurogenesis in the hippocampus region of your brain. This will help with memory, learning and will reduce your chances of getting a cognitive disorder. It also improves sleep, reduces anxiety, and puts you overall in a better mood

Inline skating puts you in a meditative state, when you’re in this zone your mind is clear and it’s easy to simply focus on your breath. It’s also a great confidence booster, all of these neurochemicals are flowing, your body feels good and so will you.

Take it easy

Don’t take yourself too fast and too far out of your comfort zone. Everyone grows at their own pace so enjoy it. If you are just starting out practice on smooth flat surfaces and practice breaking before gaining speed. Practice the fundamentals before getting fancy and it is always helpful to stretch before and after you skate.

Wear protection!

Especially if you are new to skating or a bit rusty. It’s easy to fracture a bone or get a concussion but it’s much easier to wear certified protection and reduce your chances of getting injured.

Pregnancy and Skating

It is not recommended for you to skate if you are pregnant. During pregnancy some might experience a difficulty with balance especially with the additional weight from the baby. With loose joints and hormones rushing through, you are more likely to face injury which could be very traumatic for you and the baby. However, if you are an experienced skater, talk to your doctor and see what they say.

Health Factors

If you are still unsure if skating is for you, talk to a doctor. Everyone is different and so are our bodies. If you are practicing in poor form or too often this could also result in an injury. Also, be sure to always pay attention to your surroundings.