Adult Skaters

[TheAquarian]

Every time I start skating again after a period of absence I lose a lot of weight fairly quickly, but then it evens out after a month or two and I even start to gain a little as I build more muscle.

When I do skate I am pretty aggressive and devote 10-25 hours a week to being on the ice depending on my school schedule.

[Robin]

I'm one of the adult skaters who started as a kid, so I don't know how authoritative my response will be. Skating CAN be a good workout. Just don't hit the junk food or the bar afterwards and you'll probably lose a few pounds. However, when I go through periods of not skating and then return to the rink, my legs are more pumped up and my butt is more shapely. (Never discount skating's ability to give you an awesome backside. Jennifer Lopez, eat your heart out! You've got nothing on a skater!)

[Adultsk8r509]

I'm up to 12 total pounds lost since Jan 1.... so 4 more lost since my last post on Jan 30.  I'm not starving myself, just omitting fats, excessive starches, desserts and skating 3-4 times a week (only 60-75 minutes per session) and skiing 1-2 times a week - going to the gym now and then, but not regularly (as I should) -

And ladies of legal age.... I have not given up my wine or cocktails when we go out no and then.  I actually skated in a skirt the other day with leggings over my tights... but still... a huge improvement.  Staying away from food is not easy for me ... I LOVE TO EAT   

www.waltzjump.com

[sk8lady]

I can't remember if I lost weight when I started, but I definitely gain weight over the summer when we don't have ice, unless I do major cardio to replace the exercise!

[Adultsk8r509]

I can't remember if I lost weight when I started, but I definitely gain weight over the summer when we don't have ice, unless I do major cardio to replace the exercise!

No ice whatsoever?

[VAsk8r]

When I first began taking group lessons and coming to publics once or twice a week to practice, I was really sedentary otherwise, eating badly, and at the heaviest I'd ever been. The skating initially didn't help, but I started eating better and doing other workouts and the weight began to inch off.

But when I began taking private lessons and became one of those people who was at the rink several hours a week, and started swimming on top of it and watching diet...well, about 10-15 pounds fell off pretty quickly.

I know other adults and kids who skate all the time and are either overweight or stocky. I really think it's just about the body and metabolism you inherited. Skating frequently or other exercise will help you lose some weight and build muscle tone, but if everyone in your family is heavy, you're probably not going to ever be really thin.

[Adultsk8r509]

Personally I am skating 3-4 sessions a week.  Some days I skate beginning to end 1 1/2 hrs, other days 45 min to 1 hour, depending on the crowd and how I feel.  Some days I skate a short time but work out harder than other days.  Lately I have been also skiing 2-3 days a week.  When the snow melts I will swim at the gym and do some other enjoyable exercise.  If you hate the exercise you are doomed!

[sk8lady]

No ice whatsoever?

Closest consistent ice from March 18-October 30 is 2 hours away. There's a hockey rink 30 minutes away that randomly runs public skating from July on but they don't have it every week.

[cittiecat]

I didn't loose any extra weight because I started skating, but I feel I get a good work-out in an hour of skating. There is an online calorie calculator that rates figure skating at 600 calories per hour. I don't know where they got the data, but I suspect that is kind'a high.

Like AgnesNitt, I do pilates & weight lifting just to help  support the skating so that helps keep the weight off. If I do nothing at all for exercise I gain weight fast so I try to stay pretty active. Skiing and bike riding are normal activities for me.

I realize this is an old topic, but I saw this and I thought I would add since technology has change a bit since 2011. I wear my Fitbit HR when I skate and I would say, unless you are working on skills on the boards (i.e. moving very little), 600 calories per hour is fairly accurate. On Saturdays I usually burn about 2000 calories between my half-hour group lesson and 2 to 2.5 hours of open skate. While this obviously doesn't always correlate to weight loss given all the other factors, it is certainly an effective source of cardio.

[Isk8NYC]

I asked someone wearing a FitBit at the rink about this - she said the pedometer fitness tracking doesn't work well, but the heartrate tracking works great.

[cittiecat]

I asked someone wearing a FitBit at the rink about this - she said the pedometer fitness tracking doesn't work well, but the heartrate tracking works great.

I have the one with the heart rate monitor and it is great, I also trust its calorie calculations more because its formula accounts for heart rate.

[rd350]

Hmm, so is the FitBit HR good pretty much just for calories burned?  What, if any, other information do you get out of it?  I wish there were a way to track skating activity well.

[Neverdull44]

I've stayed about the same, but everyone says that I've added alot of muscle and look toned up.

[cittiecat]

Hmm, so is the FitBit HR good pretty much just for calories burned?  What, if any, other information do you get out of it?  I wish there were a way to track skating activity well.

It works as a watch, counts steps, flights of stairs climbed (sometimes messed up by elevators), heart rate, calories, and distance. It also does the sleep rhythm monitoring. The distance seems pretty accurate when I'm skating, but I haven't scientifically tested it. The steps aren't horrible, but obviously glides aren't accounted for and spins/jumps can throw off the accelerometer. With the Distance and heart rate its a pretty good accounting of your session. I'm clearly a fan. My biggest issue is that if you don't wear it everyday all the time it won't sync well with the app.

[rd350]

Thanks for the info.  This is the FitBit Charge HR?

[cittiecat]

Thanks for the info.  This is the FitBit Charge HR?

Yes.

[rd350]

Thanks!

[Doubletoe]

I've been walking a couple miles a day and changed what I eat - I've lost 45 lbs since August.  I have the last weight to lose over the next few months and was thinking about adding regular skating.

I don't know if you will lose a lot more weight from adding the skating, but I think the body gets complacent if you never mix up your workout and then you hit a weight loss plateau.  What skating will absolutely do is give a better shape to your newly slimmed down body.  In the elevator at my office building this morning, a woman I don't know commented on my figure and I had to credit figure skating.  I once quit for a few years and my butt got flat and saggy.  Never again!