I was not an athletic kid.  I sucked at soccer, basketball, and most gym class activities.  I’m scared of heights, so don’t ask me to go rock climbing with you – even indoors.  But there was always one thing that I knew I was good at, and that’s ice skating.

My dad grew up playing hockey in Minnesota, and my mom grew up ice skating right here in Boston.  Maybe flawless balance on thin metal blades on slick surfaces is genetic.  But one of my favorite things growing up, now my fondest memories, was going skating every wintery Sunday morning with my family.  We’d go to Larz Anderson Parks’s outdoor rink and skate for hours; when I was younger, I took lessons, and as I got older, just for fun.  The rink would play fun old music, and we’d glide around doing tricks and trying to see who could go the longest without falling.

Now, I go skating every chance I get.  In addition to being fun, it’s a great way to get exercise without really feeling like it!  Here are some of the health benefits:

• Skating works muscles that walking and running don’t really challenge.
• It improves balance and reflexes – if you can stay upright on ice, pavement should be a breeze!
• It’s both muscular and aerobic exercise!  You’ll be toning your glutes and legs AND getting your cardio in at the same time
• Skating is a low-impact form of exercise, so it’s easy on your joints.
• It burns calories pretty quickly.  Depending on how hard you skate, you can burn up to 700 calories in one hour!
• If you skate outdoors, which I prefer, you get fresh air and sunny Vitamin D, which helps your physical and mental health.  It’s so important to get outside, even in the winter, but I hate cold weather.  Skating is one of the few winter activities I can endure and enjoy.

When my girlfriends came to town, we went skating instead of clubbing!

If you’re in the Boston area, Larz Anderson is a must for skating.  They even have Friday night skating for date nights!

How do you stay fit in the winter?  Love, Me