Rollerskiing is the best exercise

WHAT IS THE BEST PHYSICAL EXERCISE?

Rollerskiing is a full body workout.
Like cross country skiing it works all the major and minor muscle groups including benefits to your internal organs.

It’s because rollerskiing simulates or mimics cross country skiing in technic and effort. It’s the same feeling and both sports are similar except that one is done on snow and the other is done on hard surfaces like concrete, gravel or grass.

It is widely accepted in the field of exercise physiology as “the best cardiovascular exercise known.” Cross-country skiing and rollerskiing are more efficient and effective than activities using legs alone or arms alone. These two low-impact activities reduce impact loading on joints; this is particularly important for individuals with arthritis or joint surface defects. Gliding over uneven surfaces increases your “kinesthetic sense,” in other words, your body’s ability to perceive its location in space. Also called Geospatial awareness. The weight shift in ski-skating and the diagonal stride technics while gliding on snow or on pavement increases your balance, and balance is critically important in all sports and as we age to prevent falls. Rollerskiing increases your cardiac output (your heart’s ability to pump blood) and increases your oxygen carrying capacity (your body’s ability to take in, oxygenate, transport and extract oxygen at the working muscle), or stated another way, increases your cardiovascular fitness. Just like cross country skiing does. It improves your visual acuity, which is your ability to sense terrain changes and road or snow undulations in bright and low-light conditions. Rollerskiing improves self-esteem and confidence. Enjoying a ski or rollerski will help you feel healthier, happier and more invigorated due to increased blood flow and heightened senses. It helps cultivate an appreciation for our surroundings and environment. Quality time on a ski trail or bike path in glorious sunshine or life giving rain helps us all appreciate the natural world we often take for granted. Rollerskiing with family and friends is a great bonding opportunity, resulting in stronger friendships and relationships; this reduces stress and provides an opportunity to recharge our tired batteries.

Rollerski for fitness
But keep in mind that you will probably have to pay to cross country ski on the groomed trails but you’ll never have to pay for rollerskiing on the bike path or on the public roads. If you think of it you’ll have limitless possibilities to rollerski but not so for cross country skiing. Generally speaking snow conditions and winter weather vary more than summer weather and trail/road conditions. For example the weather extremes in winter can affect your opportunity to cross country ski or not. One winter day it’s -10c and snowing and the next it’s +5 with ice pellets. Rollerskiing is less affected by weather extremes. It’s mostly a question of attitude. If you’re disciplined you can rollerski 99% of the time. If you’re disciplined about cross country skiing your probably only going to go on appropriate days when it’s not too icy, too cold or too blustery. Having said this it’s my opinion that rollerskiing is a healthier lifestyle than cross country skiing because you can rollerski more often throughout the year. Health and fitness is all about practicing a cardiovascular sport on a regular basis.

I am an Elite cross country ski racer representing Canada at the prestigious Worldloppet circuit. I cross country ski a maximum of 100 days a year. Interestingly I rollerski the remaining 254 other days. Of course I don’t live in Miami USA but rather 1 hour North of Montreal, Canada in village called Val-Morin in the Laurentians. If I lived in Miami, Florida I WOULD rollerski 365 days a year.

In conclusion, is rollersking better than nordic skiing or cross country skiing? 
I love both, and I encourage you to go ROLLERSKI when you can !!

Sincerely,

Phil Shaw
Athlete website glisse-roule.com and rollerski.ca