Inline Skating Burns the Carbs

If one wants to exercise for health purposes, competitive skating is hard to beat. For skaters who want to remain or become healthy by skating recreationally, rather than competitively, the same benefits are realized, though on a smaller scale.

Skaters, especially inline skaters, burn more fat calories than participants of many other sports, develop stronger cardiovascular systems, and strengthen mid-body muscles from their upper legs through their lower backs. Muscles in the arms and shoulders of skaters also are strengthened through the arm motion that accompanies ice, inline and quad skating.

In addition, skating is regarded as a low-impact sport, meaning it is easier on the knees and other joints of participants than activities such as running or cycling are. Skating also is considered by many to be a pleasurable endeavor with beneficial health side effects, instead of disciplined exercise.

Stacy Akana, CEO of the newly formed International Speed Skating Federation (ISSF) of Liberty Lake, Washington, asserts competitive skating includes wider age parameters than any other sport. Where else can you see 4-year-old skaters and 80-year-old skaters compete against their peers he asks.

Akana contends that skating, especially inline skating can become a major weapon in the battle against major health problems in the U.S. such as childhood obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Nutria Strategy, a fitness and nutrition software company, lists 200 popular health activities on its Web site with the number of calories burned during one-hour workouts for each activity. From those 200 activities, only five were credited with burning more than 1,000 calories during an average hour by a 150-pound participant. Although inline speed skating was not listed separately among the 200, speed skating on ice was one of those five top calorie-burning activities.

According to About.com, a Web site that is part of New York City-based The New York Times Co., a 150-pound leisure inline skater burns 816 calories during an hour of inline skating, the same number of calories burned in an hour by a Navy Seal while diving, a boxer during a fight, or a bicycle racer traveling about 20 miles an hour.

About.com says leisure inline skaters burn MORE calories during the course of an hour than those who run 8.5-minute miles, vigorous swimmers covering distances of 75 yards in a minute, ascending rock climbers, and fire fighters climbing ladders with full gear.

The Web site says inline skaters also burn more calories than most stationary bicyclists, cross country runners, people using most stationary rowing machines, basketball players, those who do aerobic workouts, and joggers.

About.Com calorie counts for 150-pound individuals doing the following activities over the span of an hour are:

1) Leisure inline skating: 816 calories
2) Navy Seal, while diving: 816 calories
3) Boxing, in a ring: 816 calories
4) Bicycle Racing, 16-19 mph: 816 calories
5) Running (8.5 min. miles): 782 calories
6) Swimming (75 yards per minute): 748 calories
7) Rock climbing, ascending: 748 calories
8) Fire Fighter, climb ladder in full gear: 748 calories
10) Bicycling, 14 to 16 mph: 680 calories
11) Cross country running: 612 calories
12) Leisure roller skating: 550 calories
13) Basketball: 544 calories
14) Leisure ice skating: 476 calories
15) Aerobic, high impact: 476 calories
16) Jogging: 476 calories

---