Snow vs. Sand vs. Gym
Is it better to workout in Sand, Snow, or a gym? Well, my personal opinion is the snow! Yes, the cold, cold snow! I am a southern girl from South Carolina and recently, my husband and I moved out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the winter. It has been a cold winter with temperatures reaching -25 and that is not with the windchill. It has been very chilly to say the least. We have tried several different types of “snow sports”. I am going to give some pros to each of the sports from the snow to the sand to the gym. Obviously, you can make anything what you want to BUT speaking from trying all three, I’d train in the snow any day for maximum performance.
SNOW–
- Cross Country skiing- It is what you make it! X country skiing can be VERY HARD! It can also be very easy. I spent two days in the Grand National Teton Mountains trying to go up tiny hills (that felt like huge mountains). I think going down them was actually harder…that is harder not to fall! I ended up on my butt probably two dozen times and getting up is not easy either. So, cross country skiing can be hard, but it can also be easy. There are several nordic trac areas around that are flat and already have the ski tracks in the snow that help you glide along the path.
Trail X Country skiing burns about 350 calories per hour. You can do it for 3-4 hours at a time.
- Snowboarding/skiing- I snowboard about 5 days out of the week. Snowboarding is another winter sport that might look easy going down the groomers, but once you head off into the trees…….things change! You make more turns, have to use your legs to get over bumps, maneuver through trees, and navigate through fresh deep powder.
Snowboarding/skiing burns about 400 calories per hour. You can also do this for 3-4 hours at a time.
- Snowshoeing- Snowshoeing is like hiking in the winter. It also looks like it could be easy to do. However, if you hike on trails and not flat ground, it makes your adventure a little more difficult. You are able to explore more terrain and climb steeper hills than when on cross country skis.
Snowshoeing burns about 450 calories per hour. You can do this for hours!
- Running- Whooo! Running in snow…..quite a difficult task, especially at 6500 feet! The air is thin and this makes it much harder to breathe. The first time I went running up here, I actually had to do a walk/run stint. After being out here for a few weeks, I am getting a little better with the high altitude. Now, I have to watch my steps more closely in the powdery snow and make sure I dress in layers.
Running burns about 650 calories per hour. I last about 30-45 minutes!
SAND–
- Running in the sand is also a difficult task. Because of the unstable surface (like snow) you really have to watch your steps to make sure you don’t twist anything. The sand, like the snow, makes you unstable which helps you use oblique muscles, leg muscles, butt muscles and muscles that you didn’t know you had!
Running burns about 650 calories per hour.
- Paddle Boarding is a lot easier than it looks. If you are afraid to try it, don’t be. It is a very soothing, slow pace exercise. You do need a little bit of balance and a lot of courage (if you are afraid of sharks, like me).
Paddle boarding burns about 150 calories per hour.
- Surfing is a very hard, addicting, fun sport. If it weren’t for the sharks, I would do this more often. Surfing offers a low impact, incredible core workout. You also get a lot of leg work from each surfing session.
Surfing burns about 200 calories per hour.
- Plyometrics is awesome on the beach. Not only do you have great views, but you have the instability of the sand, which makes you work your muscles in a whole different way. You can get a great heart pumping workout from plyo in the sand. Highly recommended.
Plyometrics burns about 600 calories per hour.
- Biking is a fun sport to do in the sand. It is a little harder than biking on the flat road, but easier than going uphill. It can give you a good low impact workout.
Biking burns about 300 calories per hour. You can bike for hours on the beach and get a good tan while you’re at it!
GYM:
- Treadmill workouts can offer great interval workouts. They can also help you increase your road speed.
Treadmill workouts can burn about 600 calories per hour.
- Elliptical workouts can be very similar to cross country skiing. You can also do intervals on the elliptical.
Elliptical workouts can burn about 400 calories per hour.
- Bike workouts can be a great fat burning workout, or can be just the opposite….a waste of time. If you sit down on the recumbent bike with a good book, you might as well go home and sit on your couch (in my opinion). You don’t really get a whole lot from recumbent bike workouts (unless you are rehabbing a leg, ankle, or knee). My vote is to try out those spinning bikes and go to a spin class. They can be fun, motivating, and fat burning.
Spinning can burn about 600 calories per hour.
Again, who wins??? Snow wins according to the sports I have participated in…..BUT sand comes in a close second. Gym is my last option since I can always do a weight workout in the comfort of my OWN HOME! :o)
Great advice all around! Now if I could just do some spinning on my bike at 600 calories an hour, it would be awesome. Imagine that three times a week. All your tips are great, however, as must as being in the snow might be the best workout, I do not want to be in cold again.