Why Sledding Should Be A Winter Staple Of Yours
If sledding seems like it’s only for children— think again. Sledding is arguably the most fun that anyone at any age can have in the snow and has been part of snowy traditions for ages. This favorite winter pastime offers plenty of benefits for the young and young-at-heart alike! And with so many styles available, you can find the perfect sled for any wintery condition and any level of adventure.
Sounds like a ton of fun, right? We think so too! But if you find yourself asking why you should make it a winter staple, keep reading.
The Benefits of Sledding
Sledding is one of the easiest snow-day activities for the whole family to enjoy. With minimal equipment required, there are numerous benefits of sledding. So, find the closest hilltop and take that flying saucer or toboggan for a spin!
Here are six incredible ways you can benefit from sledding:
- It Can Improve Your Health
Without even realizing it, sledding can provide you with an incredible workout. Speeding downhill forces you to use specific muscle groups like your core and arms to control your balance on the sled. But, more importantly, trudging back up the hill after your race to the bottom provides a great aerobic workout that can burn up to400 calories every 60 minutes. However, it’s not just our physical health that benefits from sledding. Growingresearch connects our time outdoors with improved health and lower levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. People tend to underestimate how happy simply going outside can make them and the profound effect it can have on their physiology.
- It’ll Make You Smile
Sledding is sure to put a smile on your face. In fact, it’ll likely make you laugh. Sledding will likely make you laugh so hard, you’ll pee yourself - although, wet pants and cold temps don’t exactly mix well, so maybe try to keep your pants dry! Thebenefits of laughing and smiling are clear, yet adults, in particular, don’t do enough of either. So grab your favorite sled, find a hill and wait for the giggles to begin to erupt. It’s practically impossible not to crack a smile as you slide uncontrollably down a snowy hillside. Want even more smiles? Of course, you do! Grab a super fun inflatable sled likeFUNBOY’s Snowmobile Sled and enjoy racing down the hill in style for hours on end.
- It’s A Pretty Solid Excuse To Hold Someone Tight
There are maybe only a few activities where you get to hug the heck out of someone for the sole purpose of your own safety. Be it your bestie, your lover, your brother, your sister, or your kid, there's something comforting about wrapping your arms around someone before zipping down a snowy hill together. The world needs more huggers, and sledding is determined to help that cause.
- Break Bad Habits
Want to hear a crazy statistic? According to the market-research group Nielsen, adults spend over eleven hours per day interacting with media. Of those eleven hours, four hours and forty-six minutes are spent watching television. This increased time in front of screens is leading to rising rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity as well as general poorer health. Yes, we live in the digital era, and there is little doubt that videos of cats or dancing pups are extremely addictive or that our thumbs were seemingly designed for the sole purpose of scrolling through the latest and greatest gossip on our phones. But screen time has become the default setting for the vast majority of the hours that we spend awake. There's a significant imbalance of time spent in front of screens versus time spent outdoors, and it’s greatly affecting our health, our relationships, and a whole bunch of other important parts of our lives. Taking your sled outside to the local hill may help tip the scales back in the right direction.
- It’s A Great Social Occasion
Sledding is the perfect social occasion for friends and family to get together. While all the kids cheerfully race down the hill, the adults can catch-up. It’s also easy to combine with an outdoor-style potluck— everyone brings hot cocoa or cold-friendly finger food. Don’t have the kiddos with you? Warm up the gang with the inflatable FUNBOY Shotski. The world’s first and only inflatable shotski takes ‘go-anywhere FUN’ to a whole new level and provides a superior shot-taking experience with your pals compared to rigid shot skis, which are prone to spills and broken glasses. For an unforgettable sledding adventure with your squad, bring the FUNBOY Shotski and your favorite bottle of whiskey to keep everyone warm (and happy!) all day long.
How To Prepare For Your Sledding Adventure
Now that you know all the amazing benefits that sledding has to offer, you’re probably itching to grab your sled and race to the nearest hill— and we don’t blame you! Sledding can improve your health and gives you an excuse to squeeze your crush. But before you head out, read below, so you’re prepared for your sledding adventure.
Choose Your Sled Wisely
Sleds come in many different styles, each with their own advantages. Be sure to take into consideration your terrain, snow depth, and a number of potential obstacles when deciding which one is best for you. Runner sleds with metal blades will work like ice skates, balancing the riders on two metal runners. These sleds work well during icy conditions or with hard-packed snow. Toboggans are like the mini-vans in the world of sledding and can carry multiple people, which can increase the downhill speeds and the fun factor. Saucer-style sleds are awesome for one or two people, while foam sleds are ridden by a single rider laying flat on their belly. Want a truly fun sledding experience to remember? Opt for a unique inflatable sled likeFUNBOY’s Snowmobile, which pays homage to classic snowmobile vibes and the colors of the 1970’s retro ski era. This super sled is lightweight, so it’ll be easy to carry back up the hill so you can go down it again and again! You can even use a vinyl pool floatie, like thistube float, to make your trip down the hill fun and fast.
Layers, Layers, and More Layers
Even if you’re nice and toasty at home, it’s best to layer up when going sledding because the top of the hill is always chilly and sometimes even a bit windy. Sure, running back up the hill after each ride may make you feel warm for a moment, and you might even be tempted to pull off some of your layers, but whatever you do, don’t. Believe it or not, sweating when it’s cold out canincrease a person’s risk forhypothermia, because when they work up a sweat and come in contact with ambient air, they will instantly feel a chill. The good news is that this can easily be avoided by dressing in layers and trying to stay dry.
Drink Lots of H2O
Speaking of hypothermia, did you know it sets in much faster when you’redehydrated? Keeping your body hydrated is an absolute must if you’re going sledding. Winter sports like sledding takes a lot out of you! So be sure to drink plenty of H20 before you go and throughout the day to keep hyperthermia at bay!
Protect Yourself From The Sun
Prepare for your sledding adventure by protecting your skin with sunscreen. Sure, it might be freezing outside with sub-zero temperatures, and putting on the stuff may sound pointless, but sunscreen is really important,especially in the winter months. Why? Because the sun’s harmful UV rays are reflected off the snow, so any part of you that is exposed should have sunscreen applied to it. Sunglasses, or better yet, shaded snow goggles are also imperative.Snow blindnesscan cause long term or sometimes even permanent damage to your eyes. Before heading out to the local hill, make sure you and your little ones are well protected.
RECAP
So, why should sledding be a winter staple of yours? Because sledding is packed with a ton of surprising benefits like improved health that will leave you and your family happy and smiling all day long. So grab your favorite sled and get to sledding!
Sources:
https://outdoortroop.com/average-number-of-calories-burned-during-1-hour-of-sledding/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/sour-mood-getting-you-down-get-back-to-nature.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/14/should-i-let-my-child-take-more-risks
https://www.newsweek.com/sledding-ban-coming-city-near-you-296781
https://www.healthline.com/health/hugging-benefits
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/tech-happy-life/201812/how-much-screen-time-is-too-much
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5769928/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320226
https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-re-dehydrated
https://www.beaumont.org/health-wellness/blogs/why-sunscreen-is-just-as-important-in-the-winter
