WHAT ARE THE HEALTH OF ROLLERBLADING?
Cardiovascular Fitness
As a form of aerobic activity, rollerblading increases oxygen uptake and blood circulation throughout your body. Aerobic activity provides the greatest benefits to your heart, lungs and circulatory system of all forms of exercise. As such, rollerblading helps to reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke.
Weight Control
Aerobic activities such as rollerblading burn more calories than anaerobic exercises such as weight training. Rollerblading is a particularly effective calorie-burning workout. A 160-pound person, for instance, can burn 913 calories in one hour of rollerblading, MayoClinic.com calculates. By comparison, he'll burn only 584 calories jogging at 5 miles per hour or 277 calories walking at 3.5 mph for the same length of time.
Balance and Coordination
Rollerblading also helps to improve your balance and coordination, which prevents falls and injuries. Various factors contribute to poor balance and coordination, including injury to your joints, ligaments, tendons or muscles; aging and diseases such as arthritis or osteoporosis also impair balance. Adding rollerblading to your fitness program can be a fun way to work on your coordination.
Precautions
If you are not used to exercising or have a medical condition such as osteoporosis, arthritis or diabetes, consult a doctor before taking up rollerblading to boost your health. Avoid rollerblading in streets until you're more experienced; try a local rink or paved area in a park or along a trail instead. Before heading out, check that your rollerblades are working properly. Replace worn-out wheels with new ones. Always wear proper safety gear, including a helmet.
Interesting Factoid
Although the term "rollerblading" is commonly used, the proper term is inline skating. Rollerblade is a registered trademark of manufacturer Rollerblade, Inc., the Inline Skating Resource Center website reports.
