Besides giving a great aerobic workout, in-line skating also helps you get long and lean legs and tones your rear in no time. In–line skating is one of the best forms of exercise for toning the muscles in your legs and buttocks. It burns about 400 calories an hour, but is less stressful on your joints and organs than high–impact exercises like running, It’s a great aerobic exercise because you can get your heart rate up for a long time. It helps tone your core body, because your abs and back are engaged even when you’re just standing there balancing on skates.

Tips for beginners
Here are some tips on what to do, and what not to do, if you’re a novice in-line skater. Read this before you hit the road

• Choose skates wisely

Start with low-grade bearing (the grade of the ball bearings inside the wheels controls the speed of the skate). The lower the grade, the slower the skate; and that’s good thing for beginners, Speedy, high-grade bearings are harder to control, especially when stepping up on a kerb or going downhill. Once you get the hang of the low-grade bearings, you can move up.

• Get kitted out!

You may feel like a Robo-person with a helmet and knee, elbow, and wrist pads, but you need all of these, you’re more likely to be aggressive and learn faster if you have the sense of security that comes from being protected. You can pare down a little once you’re sure-footed, but always wear a helmet. In addition to sprains and fractures, if you don’t wear protective gear you’re also a lot more vulnerable to scrapes, wrist, knee, or elbow dislocations, or even a serious head injury.

• Don’t forget to stretch –both before and after a skating session.

Article Courtesy of Womensfitness.net