Health Benefits of Skiing & Snowboarding
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Your Resolution Starts Here
According to Time magazine, five of the most common New Year's resolutions are to exercise more (#1), learn something new (#3), spend more time with family (#6), travel to new places (#7), and be less stressed (#8). So if you’re looking for a fun, family-friendly way to destress while burning some calories and enjoying beautiful scenery, make your way to Big Bear Mountain Resort (BBMR) this winter to experience all of the health benefits skiing and snowboarding offer.
Feel the Burn
Tired of the treadmill? Sick of the StairMaster? Try hitting the slopes instead to get an awesome cardio workout that can burn over 200 calories in just 30 minutes while you explore the outdoors.
Want to burn even more calories? Try skiing and snowboarding on steeper slopes so your body has to work harder to stay balanced. Just make sure to stay on runs that match your skill level.
Being at high-altitude also increases cardio activity because your body has to work harder to deliver oxygen to muscles in thinner air, which is why walking with your gear from your car to the chairlifts can feel like a workout for guests coming from lower elevations.
Being in cold weather also causes your body to use more energy to stay warm and humidify the air you breathe, which is beneficial for stimulating brown fat cells that aid in weight loss while reducing harmful white fat cells that form excess body fat.
Improve Flexibility
After a few runs you may begin to experience improved flexibility in your lower back, hips, and legs as your body adapts to the changing terrain and frequent turns by engaging key muscle groups. These gains should continue as you acclimate to the conditions, but will plateau as the day progresses. Be mindful of your physical fitness – most on-hill incidents occur in the morning when skiers/riders aren’t warmed up or at the end of the day when fatigue sets in – and take plenty of breaks throughout the day to rest and hydrate.
Look Forward to Leg Day
Most people at the gym dread doing leg day or just skip it altogether, but skiing and snowboarding offer an adrenaline-pumping alternative to getting a great leg workout that’s actually fun. Proper skiing and snowboarding form requires the body to stay in a squat position, which engages the quads, glutes, calves, and hamstrings, as well as the ankles and feet to help steer and maintain balance. Just check out World Cup champion and Ikon ambassador Mikaela Shiffrin to see what some time on the snow can do for your lower half.
Stronger Bones & Joints
Squats aren’t just great for building muscle, they also help strengthen your knees by supporting the tension and weight from your body as you make your way down the mountain. The weight-bearing impact on your legs can also improve bone strength that simultaneously decreases the risk of osteoporosis and creates a sturdy foundation, which any fitness trainer or general contractor will tell you is the key to building a durable body (or house).
Carve Your Core
Skiing and snowboarding requires some serious balancing skills and focus, which forces the core muscles to activate and stay engaged, whether you’re gliding on groomers or carving up the canyons. The resulting improvements in muscle tone and overall core strength should lead to better balance and agility to help you avoid slips and falls from first chair to the last lap of the day.
Mood Booster
Getting outdoors and exercising is an effective cure for the “winter blues” because it promotes increased production of endorphins, which creates feelings of relief and happiness. With 300+ sunny days per year and the best snow in SoCal, BBMR is the perfect place to boost your vitamin D levels, which is especially important in the winter when days are shorter, while experiencing alpine good times.
Rem-arkably Better Sleep
Skiing or snowboarding at our properties – Snow Valley, Snow Summit, and Bear Mountain – isn’t just a great way to get in shape, bond with friends and family, and enjoy the outdoors. It’s also proven to help lower stress levels by increasing the body’s dopamine levels during your day skiing/riding, which subsequently results in higher levels of melatonin afterward to promote better sleep. More melatonin means more REM “deep” sleep for proper brain, metabolic, and immune function, which means you’ll wake up feeling more rested and ready for another day on the slopes.
Add it up and the best New Year's resolution you can make is putting a trip to Big Bear Mountain Resort on your to-do list.
Plan a Trip rich-text, responsive-table
Feel the Burn
Tired of the treadmill? Sick of the StairMaster? Try hitting the slopes instead to get an awesome cardio workout that can burn over 200 calories in just 30 minutes while you explore the outdoors.
Want to burn even more calories? Try skiing and snowboarding on steeper slopes so your body has to work harder to stay balanced. Just make sure to stay on runs that match your skill level.
Being at high-altitude also increases cardio activity because your body has to work harder to deliver oxygen to muscles in thinner air, which is why walking with your gear from your car to the chairlifts can feel like a workout for guests coming from lower elevations.
Being in cold weather also causes your body to use more energy to stay warm and humidify the air you breathe, which is beneficial for stimulating brown fat cells that aid in weight loss while reducing harmful white fat cells that form excess body fat.
Improve Flexibility
After a few runs you may begin to experience improved flexibility in your lower back, hips, and legs as your body adapts to the changing terrain and frequent turns by engaging key muscle groups. These gains should continue as you acclimate to the conditions, but will plateau as the day progresses. Be mindful of your physical fitness – most on-hill incidents occur in the morning when skiers/riders aren’t warmed up or at the end of the day when fatigue sets in – and take plenty of breaks throughout the day to rest and hydrate.
Look Forward to Leg Day
Most people at the gym dread doing leg day or just skip it altogether, but skiing and snowboarding offer an adrenaline-pumping alternative to getting a great leg workout that’s actually fun. Proper skiing and snowboarding form requires the body to stay in a squat position, which engages the quads, glutes, calves, and hamstrings, as well as the ankles and feet to help steer and maintain balance. Just check out World Cup champion and Ikon ambassador Mikaela Shiffrin to see what some time on the snow can do for your lower half.
Stronger Bones & Joints
Squats aren’t just great for building muscle, they also help strengthen your knees by supporting the tension and weight from your body as you make your way down the mountain. The weight-bearing impact on your legs can also improve bone strength that simultaneously decreases the risk of osteoporosis and creates a sturdy foundation, which any fitness trainer or general contractor will tell you is the key to building a durable body (or house).
Carve Your Core
Skiing and snowboarding requires some serious balancing skills and focus, which forces the core muscles to activate and stay engaged, whether you’re gliding on groomers or carving up the canyons. The resulting improvements in muscle tone and overall core strength should lead to better balance and agility to help you avoid slips and falls from first chair to the last lap of the day.
Mood Booster
Getting outdoors and exercising is an effective cure for the “winter blues” because it promotes increased production of endorphins, which creates feelings of relief and happiness. With 300+ sunny days per year and the best snow in SoCal, BBMR is the perfect place to boost your vitamin D levels, which is especially important in the winter when days are shorter, while experiencing alpine good times.
Rem-arkably Better Sleep
Skiing or snowboarding at our properties – Snow Valley, Snow Summit, and Bear Mountain – isn’t just a great way to get in shape, bond with friends and family, and enjoy the outdoors. It’s also proven to help lower stress levels by increasing the body’s dopamine levels during your day skiing/riding, which subsequently results in higher levels of melatonin afterward to promote better sleep. More melatonin means more REM “deep” sleep for proper brain, metabolic, and immune function, which means you’ll wake up feeling more rested and ready for another day on the slopes.
Add it up and the best New Year's resolution you can make is putting a trip to Big Bear Mountain Resort on your to-do list.
Plan a Trip rich-text, responsive-table