I’ve never been on the big side but I do like to stay fit as much as I can. This is one of the many reasons why I started roller skating.
When you think of staying fit and the whole process it involves, the few things that may come to your mind are going to the gym, swimming, walking, jogging, or some fitness exercises. While roller skating is still alien to people as a form of staying fit, it is still a major part of cardio exercise.
Yes, roller skating sheds off even more calories than walking. Shocking news right?
If only people knew the health benefits associated with roller skating, they would indulge in the activity. The good thing about it is that you get to enjoy the whole process while keeping fit in the process.
Does Roller Skating Count As Steps? Yes, it does certainly do.
It’s totally possible to stay fit, lose weight and have fun at the same time while roller skating. This way you kill two birds at the same time.
If I feel like I’ve put on a lot of weight, I prefer to roller skate for long hours, than going to the gym and carrying heavy masses ( definitely not for me)
A lot of people ask me if roller skating is better than walking to lose weight. Here’s a simple illustration to answer this question.
When it comes to burning calories, you get to lose about 8.7 per minute while roller skating and on the other hand 4.5 while walking because of the extra effort you put into roller skating. So, if you were really desperate to burn those calories, wouldn’t you like to choose a more effective and less boring method?
I’ll leave you to ponder on that while we move forward.
Whether you decide to choose roller skating or walking as your preferred cardio, it all depends on your age and fitness taste as they’re both great options to choose from.
Calorie burn while roller skating
The only backside to choosing roller skating is that learning it may be difficult for someone looking to lose weight as soon as possible.
Also, if you weigh a lot of pounds, it may be a hard journey with roller skating, but not impossible as you can still learn the whole process.
Peradventure you decide to choose roller skating as a fitness choice, you stand a chance to actually getting your body goals at the end of your fitness journey.
I’ll say this again- roller skating burns more calories than walking. This makes more sense because you get to move almost every part of your body because of the techniques involved such as jumping, squinting, generally moving faster, etc to mention but a few.
For a thirty minutes ride (I’m giving an average amount and it may be different from how many calories you burn, depending on the roller skating techniques you decide to make use of) you can burn approximately 311 calories.
Of course, this is dependent on how much you weigh presently and how intense you are skating.
For instance, for a 155lb woman, you will burn about 270 calories while roller skating for 30 minutes. So it may be less or more calories you burn depending on how much you weigh.
This wouldn’t be the same as walking or jogging which maybe even lesser than what you lose while roller skating. So for the lady who spends two hours roller skating, she loses 1,080 calories. That is a lot of calories lost for someone who really wants to shed off some weight.
Muscle used/Muscle strengthening
Roller skating can be considered as step because it involves all the muscles and more used in other forms of cardio exercise.
Carrying yourself through space, at intervals with the weight of the roller skates will definitely help you build your ankles, legs, and thigh region. So if you’re looking to work on your thigh region you can see that choosing roller skating as an option is definitely an ideal choice.
The bent-knee position you take while skating and the lean forward stance will apply pressure and stress to your lower back and your hamstrings. This goes further to help you stabilize your core in the process of balancing your wheels and leaning forward.
With the excitement that comes with skating, I often spread out or swing my arms. Doing this occasionally helps you build your upper body as well.
You can also skate with a cross trainer for an even more intense activity that will lead to more calories burned.
The muscles used while roller skating are;
- Hips
- Hamstring
- Quadriceps
- Gluteus maximus
- The calf
- The glutes
- Biceps
- Abdominals and lower abdominals
- Anterior serratus
- latissimus dorsi
These are all the muscles used and involved in roller skating. If you do further research, you’ll find out that these are also involved in other cardio activities.
The only difference is the movement of these muscles which may differ from other cardio exercises such as walking.
In roller skating, the outwards and downward movement of your body helps position your hip flexors in the right way, not forgetting most of the auxiliary muscles used to keep a firm stance and help you control your balance.
Risks and injuries involved in roller skating
Let’s pretend for a minute that you’re walking across the woods or a mountain area and a large snake outright tries to attack you.
The first thing you try to do is run for safety, right? Trying as much as possible to not get bitten by the snake.
Now, still pretending, let’s switch sides to skating.
If you were skating in that scene, the chances of you falling while trying to get away from the snake are really high.
This also applies to real-life situations such as; skating away from people or cars, roller skating on a slippery surface, while doing all these, you may fall because of the speed you used.
You can get severely injured, bones broken, etc if the fall is bad that can keep you away from doing any normal activities for a while. However, skating in the right place with the proper skill set (let’s not forget our protective gears) there will be fewer risks involved.
However, if your idea of skating is rolling on thin lines, pipes, and rocky areas, the chances of you getting injuries will definitely increase.
So, the risk associated with skating, when compared to walking and other forms of cardio exercise are high.
Enjoying roller skating
Does a dangerous, intense, fear-instilling workout sound like fun to you?
It sure does to me!
I really enjoy roller skating because of how exciting it is. Especially skating through dangerous places and getting away with it-Lol (I do not advise that you do this by the way) do this at your own risk.
There are a lot of places you get to see with roller skating, the roadside view, etc. if you’ve been feeling sad lately, it also does a great deal of helping you lift your spirits.
Skating is definitely fun for me, I wouldn’t choose a better cardio activity that is not as boring as the other ones. You can also make use of your headphones while skating to listen to music.
It feels like you’re being pushed and held from falling by an invisible person- almost as if you’re flying.
Wouldn’t you like to play fly pretend?
I don’t know about you, but roller skating is a fun activity, it brings out the child in you and you don’t have to feel burdened for a while. It helps you forget your sorrows.
While roller-skating comes with its risk, I don’t think you’ll ever get severely injured if you’re using the right protective gear while skating. Unless it’s a fatal crash with a moving car (ensure that you are roller skating in the right places.
Final words
You’ll want to take your time to digest all that is written above if you’re going to take up roller skating as a form of exercise to burn calories.
While burning calories wasn’t really on my checklist when I started skating for the first time, it has helped me stay fit all through the year.
However, the final verdict is left for you to ponder on and decide. There is really no right answer to which cardio exercise will be fit for you, but as you start your fitness journey never forget to do you always.
Do what you want, go at your own pace, do what makes you happy and stay happy. Fitness and weightloss is not an easy journey, but it is definitely attainable as far as you’re committed to the task and never give up.
I hope you found this blog post helpful and interesting (I tried really hard not to give a biased opinion).
What are your suggestions and views? Let me know in the comment section.
Until next time guys!
