What is Skiing and why it is Medically good for you.

Source : www.familyskitrips.com/

Skiing is a sport like soccer, swimming, running, etc. But the difference is that it is mostly a recreational sport.  Alpine Skiing which is more commonly known as downhill skiing, it is by far the most popular of the types and attract a lot of tourists to Europe, North America, Australia, etc.  Alpine skiing is not the only type of skiing, there are many types like back country skiing, extreme skiing, racing, etc.   Although skiing is a sport and attract a lot tourist in the winter skiing, it has a lot medical benefits to the mental and physical health of the skier. In Top 10 Health Benefits of Skiing by Health Fitness Revolution and The Health Benefits of Downhill Skiing by Fitday Editor, they explain the many benefits of skiing which are the following:

1. Skiing improves your ability to move and feel different body parts. The ability to move and feel different body parts moving weakens with age.  Skiing which uses this ability quite often and even strengthens it.  Also skiing needs a lot of balancing and coordinate which also enhances this ability.
2. Strengthens your body in more than one place.
1. Bones and joints: When skiing  “you are preventing knee damage, osteoporosis and increasing your proprioceptive strength.”.  Your knees are strengthened due to the amount of body weight and tension there getting while you ski which strengthens your joints and the bone. This can decrease joint pain later on in life.
2. Lower body muscles: Skiing “puts you in a constant squat position, it works your inner and outer thighs, hamstrings, quads and glutes.”. You will probably feel the ache in your legs when you go to bed and most likely the next day.
3. Skiing increases your cardiovascular endurance. The movement of skiing down a slope helps burn calories and improves weight loss due to the exercise.   Your heart rate will also increase, because in the end of the day it is a physical sport.  Walking up the slope instead of a ski lift(even if it is exhausting and tiring) is a very good exercise for your heart and lungs.  Your adrenaline will increase while skiing because your body releases it into the bloodstream boosting your overall mood during skiing.  All this helps improve one’s physical health and makes one more happy on the slope.  
4. Improves one’s flexibility, balance, core strength and agility.  Stability is one of the key things in skiing. Your leg muscles make adjustments all the time while skiing for balance to stay upright.  Skiing “challenges your balance and agility, helping you fend off slips and falls as you age”.   The skiing technique/position is in a slight squatting position which improves your core strength.  All of these things, especially flexibility, “will help you avoid muscle strains and sprains.”

Future Research: What is global warming and its effects on the economy in the skiing industry?