Learn To Ice Skate: How Old Is Too Old?
Ice skating used to be considered a sport for younger children – kids who were close to the ground and didn’t have to fall very far! However, skating is a sport for all ages and has something to offer everyone.
As a lifelong skater and coach, I skated both when I was younger and as an adult. Skating is a great way to stay in shape and really help your body stay in shape.
For example, as we age, we can develop balance problems. Ice skating is a great way to maintain strong balance. The lower back and abdominal muscles are the core muscles used in skating.
Skating, in general, is an anaerobic sport as most programs last less than 4 minutes. However, since a person simply skates around the track and goes beyond 4 minutes and continues to move and challenge themselves, skating can build endurance just like any other type of cardio. However, the advantage of skating is that there are no blows to the joints.
Ice rinks are often cold and your body needs more energy to sweat and maintain body temperature. This also helps burn calories, which is an added benefit.
The rinks also have other types of skating in addition to the typical freestyle skating, which is what you first think of when you think of the phrase “ice skating.” There are approximately 12 disciplines within the ice skating umbrella. Just to name a few, there are: speed, hockey, synchro, field skating, figure skating, ice dancing, theater, and couples.
Another way that skating is helpful for your body is to exercise the lower half of your body. As you move across the ice, you need to push your feet to the side for each stroke. This move works your hips and glutes. And our bodies appreciate this work since many of us spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer screen!
Some may also think that it is difficult to learn to skate, but I have students of all ages. I have some adults who started when they were younger and others who always wanted to learn ice skating and finally took lessons!
I remember one ice skating rink that I was at, I would see a man in his 80s in full hockey gear skating around the ice. He wanted to make sure he was safe in case he fell, but he went out almost every week exercising!
I find that each student has different goals. Just set goals and have fun. After all, skating is more about having fun than the exercise itself. Every time I get on the ice, I think about what I could accomplish today. Of course, I’ve been skating for over 40 years, but I still love it and still get a great workout!
You are never too old to ice skate!