Orlando Bloom spotted in a snowboarding shop in Los Angeles

Does a man in the midst of a marriage crisis soothe his troubles by splashing out on thousands of pounds of snowboarding gear, we wonder?

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Winter Sports Benefits: Skiing, Snowboarding, Hockey, Ice Skating, and More

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WebMD Feature Reviewed byKimball Johnson, MD

As the cold weather sets in each year, we tend to hunker down, turn on the TV, and tuck in for the season. But this year, it’s time to get outside and take part in some wintry fun.

These five cold-weather sports provide great exercise. Along with getting some much-needed fresh air during the winter, they can help you build muscle mass, endurance, and balance.

Slideshow: Natural Ways to Fuel Your Workout

Cross-Country Skiing

"For building endurance, [cross-country skiing] is one of the best sports you can do," says Stephen Olvey, MD, an associate professor of clinical neurological surgery at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. It also burns more calories than almost any other activity.

Cross-country skiing is an aerobic sport. That means you move nonstop for an extended period of time while your heart pumps oxygen to your muscles, providing them with energy. "It is about grinding it out over the long haul with no help from gravity," Olvey says.

The muscles strengthened while you cross-country ski vary with your skiing style. But they typically include the thigh muscles, gluteus maximus (bottom), gastrocnemius (calves), and biceps and triceps (front and back of the upper arm).

In terms of calories, a 150-pound person burns about 500 to 640 calories per hour while cross-country skiing, depending on the effort level.

Here are Olvey's tips for getting started:

Don't overdo it. Be conservative in how long you plan to ski. Prepare yourself ahead of time by using an elliptical trainer to avoid muscle strain. Bring fluids and snacks, especially if you're heading to a remote area. Wear layers of clothing that keep you warm and allow for easy movement. Be safe. Let someone know where you will be and when you expect to return. "It wouldn’t take long to become hypothermic," Olvey says. Downhill Skiing

In contrast to cross-country skiing, downhill skiing takes shorter bursts of energy; most ski runs last about two to three minutes, Olvey says.

The muscle groups used in downhill skiing are the "prime movers," including the hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, hip, and feet muscles. To a lesser degree, you'll also use your abdominal muscles for control and strengthen your arms by using poles.

Downhill skiing is a power sport that improves balance, flexibility, agility, and leg and core strength, Olvey says. Snow skiing also doesn’t stress the back muscles like water skiing does.

Someone weighing 150 pounds burns about 360 to 570 calories per hour while downhill skiing.

Olvey advises beginners to avoid altitudes that are too high because of the possibility of altitude sickness. Most resorts don’t allow people above about 11,000 feet. It's best to go up gradually and get acclimated. Signs of altitude sickness include a headache, muscle aches, inappropriate shortness of breath, and inability to reason normally.

Olvey also urges people to watch out for fatigue. A large percentage of injuries happen later in the day when someone goes for that "one last run" and ends up breaking an ankle. And make sure you drink enough fluids even though it is cold and you may not feel thirsty.

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View the Original article

Snowboarding! Snowplanet Recap!

This past weekend was one of my favorites so far in New Zealand. We went to see The Hunger Games (enjoyed the movie but the book is obviously better) and we went SNOWBOARDING!

If you haven’t figured it out yet I love snowboarding. I’m not the best at it. I’m not fast. I’m not good at tricks. But I just love the act of snowboarding down a mountain – or a fake mountain as it were.

We went to Snowplanet on Saturday for several hours of snowboarding fun. We are planning a trip to an actual mountain in a few months once winter rolls in so I wanted Kepa to get a chance to learn a bit of the basics before hitting an actual mountain. Plus it was a good chance for me to refresh since it’s been a few years since I went snowboarding.

Snowplanet is a nice indoor snow facility that has a slope with a couple different options and a beginners area. We started off on the bunny hill to let Kepa get the hang of gliding and stopping. After an hour an a half of that we graduated to the bigger area and he worked from halfway up while I went to the top. He gained confidence and skillsquickly (I was so proud!) and he eventually joined me at the top.

I loved almost everything about Snowplanet from the easy slope to the music they played but I hated the lifts. They are the kind you have to hold on to while it pulls you up. I tried using my arms but that didn’t workout so I ended up using both my legs and arms which tired me out! I probably could have gone 6 more hours at Snowplanet if the lift they use wasn’t so tiring to me. I much prefer chair lifts at actual mountains.

Regardless I had a blast! Kepa even videotaped one of my runs down:

We didn’t realize the camera was getting foggy. ;)

Like I said, I’m not super fast or good it’s just something I enjoy. I’m not aiming to be the best either. I’ve gone a few times over the years and just really enjoy the sport.

It’s a fun (and sadly expensive) hobby that I don’t get to indulge in nearly enough. Maybe now that I live a lot closer to both an indoor facility and an actual mountain I’ll get to go more often.

Fingers crossed!

Related posts:

Weekly Recap: Doubts, Exercise and StretchingCape Cod & Boston, Recap & Photos!

View the original article here

Snowboarding! Snowplanet Recap!

This past weekend was one of my favorites so far in New Zealand. We went to see The Hunger Games (enjoyed the movie but the book is obviously better) and we went SNOWBOARDING!

If you haven’t figured it out yet I love snowboarding. I’m not the best at it. I’m not fast. I’m not good at tricks. But I just love the act of snowboarding down a mountain – or a fake mountain as it were.

We went to Snowplanet on Saturday for several hours of snowboarding fun. We are planning a trip to an actual mountain in a few months once winter rolls in so I wanted Kepa to get a chance to learn a bit of the basics before hitting an actual mountain. Plus it was a good chance for me to refresh since it’s been a few years since I went snowboarding.

Snowplanet is a nice indoor snow facility that has a slope with a couple different options and a beginners area. We started off on the bunny hill to let Kepa get the hang of gliding and stopping. After an hour an a half of that we graduated to the bigger area and he worked from halfway up while I went to the top. He gained confidence and skillsquickly (I was so proud!) and he eventually joined me at the top.

I loved almost everything about Snowplanet from the easy slope to the music they played but I hated the lifts. They are the kind you have to hold on to while it pulls you up. I tried using my arms but that didn’t workout so I ended up using both my legs and arms which tired me out! I probably could have gone 6 more hours at Snowplanet if the lift they use wasn’t so tiring to me. I much prefer chair lifts at actual mountains.

Regardless I had a blast! Kepa even videotaped one of my runs down:

We didn’t realize the camera was getting foggy. ;)

Like I said, I’m not super fast or good it’s just something I enjoy. I’m not aiming to be the best either. I’ve gone a few times over the years and just really enjoy the sport.

It’s a fun (and sadly expensive) hobby that I don’t get to indulge in nearly enough. Maybe now that I live a lot closer to both an indoor facility and an actual mountain I’ll get to go more often.

Fingers crossed!

Related posts:

Weekly Recap: Doubts, Exercise and StretchingCape Cod & Boston, Recap & Photos!

View the original article here