10 reasons you should take up figure skating

People often think of figure skating or ice skating either as a fun activity for children/teens or as something there's no point in taking up seriously if you didn't begin aged five.

Here are 10 reasons to take up skating as an adult - share this with your non-skating friends and encourage them to try something new!

1) Fun

If nothing else, skating is fun. Huge bags of fun.

And the better you get at skating, the more fun you can have with it.

Say no more.

2) Friendships

As an adult, it can become very difficult to make new friends, and many of us have found ourselves in a situation where friends have moved away, got married, lost touch etc. 

Taking up a new activity is a great way to make new, lasting friendships with great people. It also means you can start skating alone, because you'll quickly find skating buddies to keep you company on the rink.

3) Health and Fitness

Trust me, when you start to love your new sport, nothing will stand in your way to get fit and eat more healthily, and you'll look and feel great for it.

Not even chocolate tempts me, most of the time ;-)

Additionally, scientists say regular exercise makes immune cells more active and ready to fight off  infection. People who regularly exercise take fewer sick days than couch potatoes.

4) Mental Health / Stress Relief

When you've had a hard day at work / you have family issues / health problems / anything else life wants to throw at you, skating is your best friend.

There's nothing like the cool rink, the air in your face, and trying not to faceplant to take your mind off everything else that's going on. 

Incidentally, I used this picture to illustrate this point because if you look closely, you'll see a bandage on my arm ;-)

5) Look Younger

Let's face it, we women will do a lot of things to halt those wrinkles. Why not skate? Scientists say the increased circulation through exercise gets oxygen and nutrients to the skin more effectively while flushing harmful toxins out. 

6) Live longer

People who exercise regularly have a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and obesity, thus increasing your chances of living longer. 

7) More energy

Ever noticed that the less activity you do, the less energy you seem to have? I feel at my best when I'm up early for work then go skating afterwards. I seem to have boundless energy on those days. I definitely feel groggier and lazier on the days when I sit in front of the TV. Physical activity is a surprisingly effective wake-up call.  

8) Challenge

There's no better feeling than overcoming a challenge, seriously. Challenges make life interesting. And they create growth within us.

Find out your limits - or that there are no limits to what you can achieve. Tweet this

9) Life Skills

Skating can teach many life lessons that are useful in other areas of life.

Hard work pays off, how to set goals and reach them, how to take pride in how far you've come since the beginning, not to be afraid to make mistakes or fall, how to (both literally and metaphorically) get up when you fall, perseverance. The list is endless. 

10) Achievement and Confidence

And finally......There really is no bigger boost to your confidence and self-belief when you realise that something you struggled with a year ago is now just part of your warm-up routine. Skating is a constant wave of achievements, some small, some bigger, but all significant and empowering.