Looking for a way to work out without feeling like you’re working out?
Do you like music? Or dancing? Or going outside?
Roller skating might be your excuse for you to lose your gym membership and have some fun!

Take your fitness routine wherever and whenever you want.
Here are some reasons why roller-skating is so good for you.

Roller-skating is a great cardio exercise that can help to prevent heart disease. Casual skaters can get their heart rate up to anywhere from 140-160 beats per minute. An intense skater like a derby player or a park skater can even get up to 180 beats per minute. Increasing your heart rate will lower your cholesterol, help you burn more calories and move oxygen and blood to your muscles more efficiently.

Strength training and aerobic exercise are the two key factors to manage or prevent diabetes. Roller-skating involves both of these forms of exercise! It also relieves stress, lowers blood glucose levels and lowers your cholesterol. Just 5 days a week of 30 minutes of skating per day could take you out of risk for diabetes.

Roller skating has similar benefits to running but with far less fatigue. Instead of jerky movements damaging your joints, you are strengthening your joints with fluid motion. Even though falling on skates is not uncommon, roller-sports still have 50% less impact than running according to the University of Massachusetts. If you are in your comfort zone of skating, progressing at your own pace, and wearing proper protection you will see many more benefits than injuries.

The average adult burns 9-10 calories per minute and anywhere from 300-600 calories per hour from casual skating. According to Mayoclinic, a 160lb person can burn about 913 calories in an hour of skating. These calories burned are turning into muscle as you go, so that you can get stronger and go further making it a great cross-training exercise. Although most low-impact aerobics receive a score of 5.0 METs (metabolic equivalent of task), roller skating ranges from 5.8-15 METs. To compare, casually riding a bike is a score of 3.5 METs and competitive mountain biking scores 16 METs.

This exercise forces you to focus on your center of gravity to maintain balance. Your center of gravity is held primarily in your core but you will also be using the rest of your body to achieve this balance. Your lower back, abdomen and legs will all work together to stabilize yourself on your skates. Improving your balance also improves your coordination and since you’re moving so quickly your instincts will eventually ignite your agility. Making your response to your wheel- shoes faster as you progress.

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body and it is very important in roller skating. When you push your legs side to side you are reaching the outside of your glutes, as well as various points along your spine and pelvis which most exercises or sports ignore. Since all your muscles are already secretly working together just to balance on wheels, you unknowingly get a full-body work-out already but there are various ways to make it an even more intense work out and many disciplines to take part in. Most people first feel the muscular development from skating in their calves, then the rest of their legs but it moves all the way up and back down to strengthen your ankles as well. You can even heal your back from muscular imbalance with this way of toning, which will relieve back pain. Strengthening and toning your body will leave you feeling more limber, improves your immunity and reduces the risk of osteoporosis by strengthening your bones as well.

Have you ever seen someone cry on roller skates? No, they do not exist... Unless they fell the wrong way then maybe, but roller-skating simply is pure joy. Most skaters feel like they are meditating when they are skating, it helps clear your mind from any stressors and forces you to be in the moment.

Simultaneously the unnoticeable exercise you are getting is releasing endorphins, endocannabinoids, serotonin, dopamine, while reducing depressive hormones. The release of endorphins is known to help with concentration, relieve headaches and make you happy. The release of endocannabinoids can reduce inflammation, pain and potentially prevent illnesses such as arthritis, heart disease and cancer.

With more blood flow and more oxygen reaching your brain studies show that physical exercise increases your neuron survival and results in neurogenesis in the hippocampus region of your brain. This will help with memory, learning and will reduce your chances of getting a cognitive disorder. It also improves sleep, reduces anxiety and puts you in an overall better mood. When you feel good your confidence is up and with all of these neuro-reactions why wouldn’t you feel confident!

Take it easy

Don’t take yourself too fast and too far out of your comfort zone. Everyone grows at their own pace so enjoy it. If you are just starting out practice on smooth flat surfaces and practice breaking before gaining speed. Practice the fundamentals before getting fancy and it is always helpful to stretch before and after you skate.

Wear protection!

Especially if you are new to skating or a bit rusty. Now that people have been hitting the skateparks roller skating injuries are at an all time high. It’s easy to fracture a bone or get a concussion but it’s much easier to wear certified protection and reduce your chances of getting injured

Pregnancy and Skating

It is not recommended for you to roller-skate if you are pregnant. During pregnancy some might experience a difficulty with balance especially with the additional weight from the baby. With loose joints and hormones rushing through, you are more likely to face injury which could be very traumatic for you and the baby.

Health Factors

If you are still unsure if skating is for you, talk to a doctor. Everyone is different and so are our bodies. If you are practicing in poor form or too often this could also result in an injury. Also be sure to always pay attention to your surroundings.