Exercise routines during the winter season decrease as the temperature go down.
In case you didn’t know, a fun winter sport like snowmobiling is considered a physical activity.
Snowmobiling is mainly done while sitting, infamous among physical fitness freaks.
However, there are many reasons to believe that snowmobiling is a good exercise because it is proven to burn calories.
But does snowmobiling burn calories, or is it a myth?
Let us answer all these questions one by one.
Is Snowmobiling a Good Exercise?
Snowmobiling is indeed a good exercise. As you let your body’s tension loose, it is easier to let your body go with the flow of the snowmobile’s movement.
It is a task that takes a lot of energy for you to control the snowmobile, especially around bends in a trail. It is just like yoga or dancing; it requires total control of your body.
Therefore, it has of late managed to get itself included in the category of exercise.
Snowmobiling is a good exercise for burning calories. The key is to learn how to use the weight distribution of your body to help you guide your turns on the trail.
Snowmobiling, a motorized sport, challenges the muscles of your entire body; it further increases muscular strength and meets all metabolic requirements like in any aerobic exercise.
Does Snowmobiling Burn Calories?
Just like any other workout regime, snowmobiling too can burn calories.
This is even better because while you burn calories in snowmobiling, the efforts do not seem too jading as you are on the move and moving through snow-covered terrains amidst nature and with many other fellow riders.
Snowmobiling can burn 234 calories per hour on the run.
Therefore, there is no reason to fret over if you belong to a cold region where it is mainly covered by snow, as the harsh winter snow cannot stop you from working out while also having the fun that you deserve.
However, there is no fixed count on how many calories one could burn while riding that machine. It depends on various factors and varies from person to person with different body weight, age, gender, and body type.
Factors that Affect How Many Calories You Burn
Staying active during the winters when all you feel like is under the comforters or near the fireplace seems just so difficult.
Nevertheless, snowmobiling is an activity we all love to indulge in during the snow season because it helps us stay active by burning calories and is super fun.
Several factors are responsible for other people burning different amounts of calories. I will discuss them at large below.
Rough Terrain
Riding on rougher terrain is more physically strenuous. Thus, it would require more energy exertion when one depends on more uneven terrain. This results in burning more calories than riding on plain natural terrain.
Rough terrains would mean the rider would occasionally be required to free the machine from being stuck in deep snow, lift a sled to loosen the ice, or even move obstacles along the way. All these actions take serious effort, thus making it a calorie-burning process.
Position
Another critical factor is the position in which one rides.
You can burn more calories while riding standing than just sitting and riding. It burns four times the calories if the rider keeps changing positions as it requires more energy.
Shifting one’s weight forward while going up a hill, shifting weight in turn, or kneeling makes one exert more energy.
This is why mountain riding has aided in comparatively burning more calories.
Time Allotment
With different time allotments to the sport, there is a difference in the result of calorie burning. A 1-hour long snowmobile ride on hilly terrain (ungroomed) with vigorous intensity may help burn up to 600 calories.
In contrast, a day-long trip of snowmobiling will burn more calories even with a moderate intensity of physical exertion.
If you plan a long ride with friends, make sure you bring a snowmobile GPS and a communicator.
How Many Calories Does Snowmobiling Burn?
Snowmobiling does burn a significant amount of calories. A ride of 1 minute can burn roughly up to 3 calories, equivalent to 10 gms of cooked mushrooms.
A ride of 1 hour can burn up to 170 calories, approximately equal to 3 oz of cooked beef. An eight-hour-long ride can burn up to more than 1200 calories, which equals half a kg of cooked chicken.
Also, a 132 pounds heavy, 25-year-old woman who is 5’4″ in height burns up to 150 calories, whereas a 132-pound heavy, 25-year-old man who is 6′ in height can burn up to 171 calories per hour.
Final Words
Snowmobiling indeed is different from traditional forms of physical activity.
Nevertheless, it has similar beneficial effects on our body and mind as any other physical activity.
Snowmobiling has significantly helped people fight SAD(Seasonal Affective Disorder), a kind of depression.
There are many health benefits of snowmobiling besides being a fun sport.
With the right gear like sturdy boots, warm balaclavas etc., and prudent efforts, it can be a safe form of anomalous physical activity.
Have any questions for us? Leave a comment below, and we will get back to you asap.
