Winter weight gain may be common, but it's not as inevitable as death and taxes. Much of the weight gained during the winter season is due to inactivity and excessive eating during holiday celebrations. Snow sports, such as alpine and cross country skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating enhance balance and coordination while burning extra calories. These activities may prevent weight gain or assist in weight loss.
Winter Sport Benefits
Chronic boredom due to limited activity may inspire people to eat more in the winter, says nutritionist Nancy Clark in an article for the American College of Sports Medicine's "ACSM Fit Society Page." The lack of sunlight may also cause a seasonal depression, called seasonal affective disorder. This condition, says Clark, changes the brain chemistry and causes carbohydrate cravings. Despite the cold temperatures, high alpine environments are often sunny, making winter sports the perfect antidote for winter depression. The added gear adds extra body weight, which may increase the intensity of the workout and help you burn extra calories.
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is the most user friendly winter sport. It requires a minimal equipment investment, minimal skill and minimal, if any, money spent on trail fees. Since snowshoeing, according to "Snowshoe Magazine," potentially burns more than 600 calories per hour, it provides maximal weight loss benefits. Recreational hiking snowshoes are best for novices. They work best on terrain that does not have steep descents. Aerobic snowshoes are for skilled snowshoe enthusiasts and runners. Hiking and backpacking snowshoes work best in deep powder conditions.
Cross Country Skiing
Alpine or downhill skiers benefit from lift-serviced terrain. Cross-country or Nordic skiers do not have this luxury. The need for constant activity, even when climbing hills, makes this an effective aerobic exercise, capable of burning between 511 and 763 calories per hour, depending on your weight, says MayoClinic.com. The sport works your upper and lower body simultaneously, thereby enhancing coordination and increasing caloric expenditure. Most people learn cross-country skiing on a track. Once you gain proficiency, venturing out onto ungroomed terrain adds challenge and increases the amount of calories burned.
Downhill Skiing
Downhill skiers burn approximately 365 to 545 calories per hour, says MayoClinic.com, but estimating caloric expenditure for this sport is difficult. Most calorie calculating sites assume that downhill skiers spend a considerable amount of time on lift lines, but some resorts, such as Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia have top-to-bottom trails that may take over 45 minutes to complete. Mogul skiing requires more exertion, as does backcountry skiing, which requires you to hike to the top of the mountain and ski down ungroomed and challenging terrain. Alpine skiing also uses the heaviest equipment, which also increases the sport's intensity.
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