Inline Skates and Exercise Benefits
Inline skating is a fun way to get in shape and stay fit especially on warm sunny days when it's a lot more enjoyable to exercise outdoors than on a treadmill or exercise bike indoors at the gym. These days most cities have nicely paved paths through parkland, beach and waterfront areas to make your rollerblading experience more enjoyable. Unfortunately depending on where you live, you may not be able to or want to rollerblade all year round.
There are many benefits to be derived from inline skating. It's much easier and safer on the knees and back than jogging since your legs aren't taking as much pounding against a hard surface. You don't have to travel as far as cycling to get maximum benefits. Along with a great cardiovascular workout, blading provides you with a fantastic lower body workout by strengthening and toning your thighs, gluteus, calves and hamstrings. It's like doing thousands of lunges using your own body weight without even realizing it or getting bored!
I also recommend that you combine blading with strength training exercises with weights such as leg extensions, leg presses and calf raises to name a few. This will ensure that your muscles and bones remain strong and it helps to prevent any possible injuries from occurring.
Before you begin inline skating for the day, you may want to do a little bit of light stretching particularly focusing on your thighs and hamstrings. Right now there is debate over whether or not to stretch before exercising. I believe you should do what feels best for you. Also, the first few minutes should be done at a slower pace as a warm up for your muscles.
I find that roller blading is extremely safe once you get proficient at it. Rarely will you fall by yourself. If you do, it's usually a result of your surroundings. No different than cycling or walking on a sidewalk. To prevent injuries and scrapes, you may wish to purchase elbow, wrist and knee pads plus a helmet.
What should you look for when buying a pair of inline skates? If you're new to this sport, I suggest you either borrow a pair from a friend or rent a pair just to try it out, get a feel. When you're ready to buy a pair there are a few things to look for. If you're going to buy a really cheap pair I'll guarantee you that you will not enjoy inline skating. What I suggest that you buy a pair in the mid-price range.
What should you look for in a pair of inline skates? The obvious being that the boot fits your feet properly in a pair of sports socks. If you feel the boot rubbing against your ankles or your toes rubbing inside the boot, try another pair because ill-fitted boots will result in blisters and soar feet. Just like a badly fitting pair of running shoes.
I prefer laces for the boot with one plastic or velcro strap at the top and soft boots with plastic heel and bottom moldings for extra support. Soft boots with no plastic molding support usually give way to your ankle over time. Wheels should be in the 76-78mm range. 80mm is too big a wheel for most people. Look for bearings with ABEC 4-5. Most quality inline skates come with ABEC 5 bearings nowadays anyway.
I've tried several different makes of inline skates over the years. I find I like K2 the best and highly recommend them. I like their sleek design, they fit my feet very well and have great support. K2s are also very comfortable and light in weight. Ultra Wheels are also very good and I hear that Salomon are quality blades too.
Inline skates are easy to maintain. The wheels need to be rotated every once in a while to prevent uneven wearing out. So if you use them 3 times a week, monthly is fine or take a look for how much wear there is on the wheels. The bearings need to be lubricated too. I do this by removing the wheel bearings assembly and wiping the surface of any dirt and then spraying the entire wheel bearing assembly with lubricant. I don't remove the bearings from the assembly casing any more since I find very little dirt gets in there and it's a lot of work.
In this article I've discussed the cardiovascular and strength training benefits associated with inline skating. What you should look for when purchasing a pair of inline skates and their proper maintenance.
Peter Kudlacz is the owner of http://www.popularfitness.com where you can find online fitness and golf programs, exercise instruction guides, articles, resources and tips.
Related Articles:
Discover the Positive Effects of Exercise for Diabetes Sufferers
There are two main types of diabetes, type I and type II. Type I
diabetes is characterized by the pancreas making too little or no
insulin.
Exercise And Asthma
If you suffer from asthma, you probably think that you can't exercise properly or safely. Contrary to what many think of this subject, there are ways that you can get in shape and exercise, even if you suffer from asthma.
Five Tips For Healthy Weight Loss
If you want to lose weight, it isn?t enough to simply go on a diet ? you have to make a change in your entire lifestyle. This is a difficult task, and many people do more harm to themselves than good as they pursue it. Here are five tips for healthy weight loss that will help you keep your eyes on the goal.
New Handheld Diet and Exercise Counter Helps People Watch What They Eat
The more convenient and fun dieting is, the more people will do it. That's what caused the folks at HealthFitCounter, Inc. to develop the HealthFitCounter, a handheld diet counter that will work to help people keep track of any diet they're on, including Weight Watchers or Atkins.
Your Weight Loss Problem: How To Cure It By Watching Movies Or Reading Books!
I don't know anything about you but if you're anything like me then you struggle with a weight loss problem. Your weight loss problem consists of you struggling to keep your weight down or struggling to make your weight go down.
Weight Loss by Treadmill
Weight loss using a good Treadmill workout program has worked for many people - and it can work for you too.Treadmills can be used by virtually any age group, and by individuals of any activity level.
Weight Loss After Pregnancy - What Every Mother Should Know!
Giving birth to a child is one of the most wonderful moments in a woman's life One look at the newborn and the mother knows that the pain and hardships of the pregnancy were not in vain
The Truth About Weight Loss: The 6 Biggest Myths About Dieting!
All of our behavior results from the thoughts that preceded it, so the thing to work on is not your behavior, but the thing that caused your behavior, your thoughts.
- Dr.
Weight Loss Issues - Can You Be Cellulite Free?
One thing I really must say at the outset of this
article is, that if you were to ask the majority of
men to define cellulite they would most probably
be completely baffled.Then after you explained it to them in detail and
told them that you suffered from it, more likely
than not the reaction would be to look at you as
if you were slightly mad, shrug their shoulders and
say that they had actually never noticed it.
Top Thirty Weight Loss Tips and Tricks
Here are some everyday, helpful hints to get you started, keep you going, and help you stick to your diet.1.
How to Lose Weight After Pregnancy
Weight control is a prevalent concern for many women after pregnancy. Although common during pregnancy, weight gain is difficult for many women to handle emotionally.
Lose Fat, Lose Weight - The Essential Steps
Understand How Weight Loss Occurs
Choose the Right Weight Loss Supplements
With all those skinny supermodels made to look so good in fashion magazines, who wouldn?t want to lose several pounds more? The show business industry also proves that those with amazing figures get to have a better chance at fame. Even our small neighborhood doesn?t help so much either; overweight students may not get the best deals.
Green Tea Extract and Weight Loss
If you have always wanted to know more about this topic, then get ready because we have all the information you can handle.
Essential Tips For Choosing Exercise Equipment
Exercise equipment is a must-have once you want to progress beyond walking or jogging. This is especially true if you don't have time to go to a gym for exercising. Just like everything else, the quality of the equipment you buy depends on the price you want to pay.
