Fitness: Has your winter sports routine been on ice? Here’s a refresher

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Ice skating

Rinks have been popping up in more backyards and municipalities this winter, suggesting that skating outdoors is going to be the sport of choice for the next few months. It’s easy on the joints, but still a good lower-body workout — skaters build impressive legs and, like skiers, fire up a lot of small stabilizer muscles that may have been dormant for several years. And since outdoor ice tends to be a little bumpier and skaters have extra wind resistance to deal with, the energy cost of skating outside is greater than skating circles indoors.

If it’s been a while since you hit the ice, you may want to reconsider pulling on those old skates from the back of your closet. Skates have come a long way in terms of comfort, so don’t put up with models that pinch or collapse at the ankles. And be sure to get the blades sharpened before you step on the ice for the first time, or you may end up looking more like Bambi than Tessa Virtue or Scott Moir.