Skiing is one of the greatest lifestyle choices that I have ever made. The health benefits alone make the sport worth it, everything else that skiing does for me is just icing on the cake. I grew up on skies and it has become my religion. I haven't really pushed myself on skies until the past three-four years of my life. I have noticed that the change in my skiing style has not only affected my physical health but also my mental and spiritual health as well.

Over my winter break from school, I went skiing almost every day of break. By the end of each day, I was exhausted and my body tired from a full day of playing in the snow. By the last day of my break, I couldn't walk without feeling every muscle in my body. My arms hurt the least, and even they cried out in resistance anytime I tried to lift them. I noticed that aside from the soreness of skiing every day, I had never felt better in my life. That month off of back home was truly magical and was one of the best times of my life. I noticed that my overall outlook on life was better, not only that but I started to look and feel extremely fit.

I had better endurance and strength, which enabled me to ski harder terrain more technically sound for longer then I had been able to in previous years. Skiing has so many benefits to it that I count my self-blessed to have it in my life.

When I got back to school from my ski trip, my brother sent me two articles, the first was published in Time magazine, Why skiing is a Ridiculously good Workout, A comparison Between Alpine skiing, and another article published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine titled, A Comparison between Cross-Country skiing and indoor Cycling on Cardiorespiratory and Metabolic Response.

In both of these articles, They mention that skiing is a wonderful way to exercise in winter. However, this doesn't mean that if you put skies on your feet and take two turns that you'll be in the best shape of your life. Both articles mention that the harder and longer a person skies and the more a person pushes themselves, the better exercise and results that you receive from it.

When I read this, it made me just stop and think how true this was and how I had just recently experienced the results of the harder workout. It was incredible, In previous years, skiing had always made me a more fit and healthier, but this past year blew those out of the water.

This past break was the hardest I had skiied so far in my life, and I could tell a significant change in how I felt after a month of skiing then I had been able to in prior years. not only this, but I spent that entire month in nature and experiencing a way of interacting with nature that I feel we as a society are losing connection with. Skiing has given me such a positive outlook on life, and I have so many wonderful memories of skiing with friends and family.

It really has a positive impact on a persons' life; that is if they don't get hurt by hitting a tree, stay safe out there. In skiing, you get out of it what you put into it. The harder you ski, the better workout you will accomplish. This can also translate to Life, the more work you put into it the more you will get out of it. Also, I highly recommend reading the articles I mentioned above. They provide wonderful insight into how skiing can benefit your life. Thank you for reading. iPura Vida!