Ken Loeb

While skiing is considered by most to be a winter sport, if you live near mountains or in a cold region of the country, it can be a great year-round sport. Most of us picture classic recreational skiing when we envision the sport, but there are several kinds of skiing – cross country, downhill racing, competitive, and recreational – all of which are excellent forms of exercise.

Kenneth Loeb, Ottawa Ontario resident and commercial real estate mogul, is an avid skier. Skiing builds hand-eye coordination, core strength, and balance, says Loeb. And it also has benefits for your overall mental health as well.

Skiing Strengthens Lower Body Muscles Says Ken Loeb

When you watch people ski, it often looks like an effortless glide downhill across the snow. Skiers seem to be allowing gravity to pull them along while they stand here. But nothing could be further from the truth says Kenneth Loeb. While skiing can help you improve your balance and flexibility, it’s also a huge exertion of effort and strength.

When you’re skiing, you don’t stand up straight, you have to be in a squat position to keep your balance and steer yourself, explains Ken Loeb. This position naturally strengthens your calves, glutes, quads, and hamstrings.

Skiing Engages the Core Muscles Explains Ken Loeb

Keeping your body upright as it speeds downhill in a squat position is not an easy feat, says Ken Loeb. It requires serious balancing skills, focus, and flexibility. This balance is achieved through the engagement of your core muscles. Since you have to be constantly in a squat position and ready to change direction and steer, skiing is the perfect way to tone your abdomen and increase your overall core strength.

Skiing Burns Serious Calories Says Ken Loeb

This may feel obvious, but Ken Loeb says people often underestimate the physical exertion it takes to ski. It may look like skiers are flying downhill effortlessly, but you can burn a truly impressive number of calories while skiing. Harvard completed a study that found the average 185-pound person can burn up to 266 calories in just a half an hour of skiing! And you burn even more calories walking back up the slope. The steeper the slope, the more effort it takes to stay balanced, and the more calories you burn.

Even the weather can help you burn more calories when you’re skiing, says Kenneth Loeb. The colder it is, the harder your body has to work to stay warm, which adds to the overall calorie count significantly.