What to do now that the snow has fallen upon us and simply moving around has become a chore? Most of us get stuck at this time of the year and become couch potatoes. However, this is a fine opportunity to take advantage of all the splendor this Winter Wonderland Asahikawa has to offer. Because we live in Asahikawa, which is the best place to enjoy the healthiest winter activity, we should all strap 'em up and get out there and bask in the beautiful white landscape here.

In this month's issue, I'll introduce you to the excellent and user-friendly aerobic exercise, cross-country skiing! Kindly supported by Niseko Powder Hoidays

What Is Cross-Country Skiing?

Cross-country skiing, also referred to as Nordic skiing, is a sport that a beginner can jump right into. It combines the skills of skiing, hiking, and skating. The skis are longer, lighter, and narrower than downhill skis. Although a beginner may use the skis like snowshoes and tramp across the snow using the poles for balance, the correct technique calls for gliding across the snow with your body at a forty-five degree angle forward to the ground. The upper and lower body should work together in a rhythm of kicks, long glides, and propelling poling motions. Most people don't need a special lesson before starting out, but a good instructor can help with advanced technique.

The Healthiest Activity

Cross-country skiing is widely recognized as one of the healthiest activities you can do. There are 3 major reasons for that. The first one is that cross-country skiing requires the athletes to use all of the major muscles in both the upper and lower body at the same time. This results in a sizable aerobic advantage as well as a great caloric expenditure (Cross-country skiing for an hour consumes about 950 kcal, compared to 700 kcal of running for an hour). The second reason is that this activity is very low-impact compared to other aerobic exercises, such as running. So there is much less stress on the joints of the body. The third one is that you can stretch your muscles as you're skiing, which develops muscle flexibility and strength as a result.

For these reasons, cross-country skiing is even considered as one of the best cross training activities for athletes in other sports.

January is notorious for expanding waistlines so it's an especially good idea to try something new and get active. Let's try to keep our New Year's resolutions this year, enjoy the beautiful winter scenery in Asahikawa and make this New Year truly happy. For those who see snow as a curse, cross-country skiing can help you see that snow is blessing. So let's get out there and enjoy the winter!

If you are interested in do some cross-country skiing please contact the friendly people at niseko powder holidays