Extreme Sports Calorie Burning

One of the defining characteristics of an extreme sport is that it requires a high level of physical exertion. Many of them also take participants into the snow or water, which are both environments that take a lot out of the body, even if you are staying still.

Many extreme sports take place in the air. These include sky diving and hang gliding, both of which burn about 200 calories an hour. Air based sports generally use up less energy than land or water sports, because it is gravity rather than you which is doing a lot of the work.

The amount of calories you burn during water sports varies a lot. Sailing, surfing or windsurfing will use about 200 calories an hour, but whitewater rafting, which forces you to use more of your strength, will use about 350 calories in an hour. If you get into the water, you will tend to use up quite a lot of energy. Snorkelers expend about 350 calories an hour, while scuba divers use up about 500.

Land sports vary just as much in the amount of calories they use. Skating can burn about 500 calories an hour, while skateboarding tends to use a little less. Rock climbing uses up a lot of calories, whether you are rappelling down the rock face (about 500 calories an hour) or climbing up it (about 750 calories an hour).

Winter sports burn calories particularly quickly. They require a lot of exertion and they also place you in a cold environment, so that your body has to work harder to keep warm. The amount of calories you burn depends on how physical the activity is. Snowboarding burns about 500 calories an hour. Downhill skiing burns about 700 calories and hour, while cross-country skiing, which forces you to work very hard, can burn about 1000 in the same time.

The exact amount of calories that you burn when taking part in an extreme sport will depend on how much effort you put in and on your weight.

Extreme sports can use up a lot of calories, often over an extended period, so it is important to make sure that you are eating well if you are going to be taking part in one. The risks involved in many of these sports also require you to be alert and energetic enough to handle them. Many people who are serious about extreme sports have to work hard to consume enough calories to compete.