The Jaw-Dropping Benefits of Cross-Country Skiing by: Alex Hutchinson

Rating: ****

“The Jaw-Dropping Benefits of Cross-Country Skiing,” is written about the health and wellness benefits that come from cross-country skiing. It is a great read containing some interesting information about the winter sport.

In this article, Alex Hutchinson explains how researchers at Ball State University and in Sweden did a study comparing two groups of men. One of these groups of men had cross-country skied their whole lives and the other group hadn't. The study determined that the group of cross-country skiers had “twice the cardiovascular and muscular fitness” compared to the other group. Next, Hutchinson talks about how cross-country skiing is such great exercise it can even place a man in a low risk category when it comes to mortality. Following this section, the article discusses the importance of arm strength in the sport. A study was done comparing elite male and female Norwegian skiers, who had to participate in various tests involving different skiing techniques. These tests involved the use of upper body strength.The study showed how the men dominated any activity that involved a lot of arm strength, but in activities that involved less arm strength the difference between the men and women became smaller. To conclude, Hutchinson explains how skiing up hills will easily increase your heart rate and therefore make the workout more effective.

I thought this article was extremely well written and very informative. It gave me so much insight into this winter activity. After reading this article and discovering all the health and fitness benefits from cross-country skiing, I have a new appreciation for the sport. While reading, I thought about my upcoming season with my school’s ski team. I'm very excited to learn how to cross-country ski and knowing that this sport will be beneficial for my overall well being has made me more excited. I hope I end up liking the sport and continue to cross-country ski for the rest of my life.

I would recommend this article to any cross-country skiers or anyone who is interested in learning how to ski. I think this article has a lot of great and interesting information about the benefits of cross-country skiing.

The Globe and Mail, (2013). The jaw-dropping benefits of cross-country skiing. [online] Available at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/fitness/the-jaw-dropping-benefits-of-cross-country-skiing/article6747824/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2014].