Amanda Loudin, writing for the New York Times:

Shaking up your fitness routine with in-line skating has big physical payoffs, said Esther Goldsmith, a London-based exercise and sports physiologist with the bio-analytics firm Orreco. “Depending on how you’re skating, you can reap both aerobic and anaerobic benefits,” she said. “But you also engage a wide variety of muscles you might not from a sport like running or cycling.” You’ll pull in stabilizing muscles from your abs and calves, for instance, as well as inner and outer thigh muscles.

What sets in-line skating apart from sports like hiking, running and most types of swimming is that you move in a lateral plane of motion, rather than just front and back. Over time, these types of functional muscles — those we use in daily life — decline if not challenged in this manner. “Skating takes your body side to side, involves your core, and improves your balance,” Ms. Goldsmith said.

Skating also trains your nervous system by requiring your body to do several movements at once, like squatting and pushing off to the sides (particularly if you’re mixing up your style). This is helpful in both athletic and daily activities, said Ms. Goldsmith. “When your muscles and nerves are more prepared, it reduces the likelihood for tweaking your back, for example,” said Ms. Goldsmith. “Skating trains your body for these daily activities without even realizing it.”

Careering around on tiny wheels can have additional benefits later in life. For one, it provides an equal aerobic benefit to running, but with lower impact on the body, presuming you don’t fall.

The payoff from learning to glide balanced on one foot at a time is also valuable. “Our balance peaks in our late 30s and begins to decline in our 40s,” Ms. Goldsmith said. “Many accidents happen over the age of 65 because of trips and falls. Skating regularly adds balance to the routine and that can help slow down that decline.”

That doesn’t mean skating is without risk — falls happen, and sometimes sprains or broken bones accompany them. But by mastering foundational skills and padding up with helmets, wrist and knee guards, you can mitigate your chances of injury.

I have been drinking and eating steak quite a bit, but my gout hasn’t flared up. I suspect because I have been rollerblading everyday.

I have been doing some snowboard training on carpet in my basement. I didn’t realize pre-season training can be done until I came across several YouTube videos. I am learning 10 beginner snowboard skills from SnowboardProCamp. Kevin Pearce breaks down 10 beginner skills including heel edge, toe edge, and hop turn. His “10 Snowboard Tricks for Pre Season Training” is also helpful to learn 180 jumps and butter 180 jumps. I also find 5 Snowboarding Skills You Can Improve From Home” from Snowboard Panda to learn presses, ollies, and nollies.

With these preseason learning, I hope to get myself ready when I hit the snow this coming winter. Since I already invested into all the gears, I have determined to learn snowboarding, but I won’t give skiing though. I still love skiing; therefore, I will do both if I can pick up snowboarding. If not, I will just focus on skiing.

I also keeping an eye on a snowboard package for Xuân since he also wanted to learn with me. We’ll learn together. He’ll pick up the skills much faster than me I am sure. Đán has left me far behind when learned snowboarding together. He is such an athletic though. He could figure things out on his own. I won’t be taking any lessons either. I’ll try to learn on my own through YouTube videos. I think I will learn better that way then having an instructor.

Skiing is fantastic and I still love skiing. Last season, I learned all I could and reached my goal. I went from green slopes to double black diamonds. I will keep on skiing, but I also want to try snowboarding again this season. Last season, I took one lesson, snowboarded for one day, and gave up.

Several months ago, I bought a used board for Đán, but he didn’t want it. He didn’t want to change. Since he was comfortable with the last year’s board we rented, he ended up renting the same board again. The board I bought is a bit too long for him, but might be good for me. I sharpened the edges, fixed the base, and gave it a good wax. The board is now pretty slick. I bought a pair of brand new thirtytwo Zephyr boots on sale for a decent price.

Now that I have everything I need, I am going to make the commitment to snowboarding. I will learn on my own via YouTube. I will take my time to get it right this time. I will document my progress on here like I had done with skiing.

My passion for ice skating has melted. I haven’t stepped into the rink in weeks. I miss it. I’ll get back to it someday.and continue to learn the jumps.

I have been rollerblading with my sons on a regular basis, thanks to Xuân. I am so glad that he has been asking me to take him to the skatepark. I am dragging Đạo and Đán along too. It feels like getting the band back together. The vibe is there. Xuân is getting his chops on the scooter again. Đạo is gaining more confidence. They both can drop in from high ramps. Đán is a natural skater. He dropped in with one foot. How crazy is that?

As for me, I haven’t learned new techniques. I am just taking it easy and enjoying spending time with my sons. It’s nice to get them off the screen and out of the house. They used to protest, but my wife made them go with me. It’s their benefit to have a routine and to get some exercise. I don’t set any goals or expectations. We just skate for fun. The skatepark is always free and usually not crowded. All we need is a good pair of skates, a helmet, and protective gears. We’ll continue to hit the skatepark as long the weather permits.

We can’t wait to go skiing and snowboarding in the winter. The boys have all the gears. Vương will be using his skis from last year. My wife got Xuân and Đạo brand new twin-tip skis. We rented a snowboard package for Đán for a whole season. I now have two pairs of used skis I had tuned up and ready to go. My wife can use one pair if she wants to. She just needs to buy the boots. I also bought a used snowboard to learn. I want to give it another try this season. I’ll learn it on my own from YouTube rather than getting lessons. We’ll see how that goes.

After the summer hiatus, I stepped back into the rink for the first time last Wednesday. Needless to say, my chops have become rusty. I went back to the basics and tried my loop and flip jumps. I still need a lot of practice, but I am just taking my time. I am not in any rush. As long as I don’t lose interest like my kids, I’ll just keep going.

Aggressive skating is going well for me. I hit the skatepark everyday. I haven’t done anything too crazy, just learning to stall on the quarter pipe and to grind a bit. The progression is slow, but I am enjoying it. Aggressive skating is a good exercise for an old man like me. The skatepark is always free and if I come at the right time, I get the whole part to myself. My sons joined me sometimes, but their hearts aren’t in it like they used to. My second son is such a natural skater. Even though he doesn’t practice everyday like me, he surpasses me. He can just skate with effortlessness.

I can’t wait for the winter to come so we can hit the slopes. Fortunately my sons are still interested in skiing and snowboarding. We already bought the Epic pass for the three old kids and myself. My youngest is still free and he will be reusing his skis from last year. Xuân is all set with brand new boots and a pair of twin-tip skis. We’re still searching for a snowboard for Đán and a pair of twin-tip skis for Đạo. My wife isn’t sure what she wants to do yet.

For me, I bought a new pair of ski boots, Lance RX 120, to replace an old pair of Lance for junior I bought last year for $40. I’ve worn them out already. I also bought a pair of Head XENON Xi 5.0 for $50. I didn’t know what the heck I was purchasing. It turned out to be such a fantastic pair of skis. I went from green to double black diamonds in them. I only started to do some research yesterday and this pair was made in 2008. It is still in great shape after 14 years.

Over the summer, I bought a pair of K2 Apache Sabre (119-72-103) for $75, which came with poles and a bag. I thought it was a good deal. It turned out this pair was also made in 2008. As much as I love my Head skis, I wanted to let my wife use it to learn on the bunny. It might be a bit too long for her. I tuned up both my K2 and Head skis; therefore, they will be ready to hit the slope in the winter.

Two months ago, I picked up a used Burton White Collection snowboard for $35 for my second son, but it is a bit too big and heavy for him. I am thinking of giving snowboarding another try. I didn’t do too well last season, but I gave up after I bruised my thumb when I stuck my hand in the magic belt. Đán, my second son, took the lessons together with me, but he advanced so quickly. He went from the bunny slope to double black diamonds in a month or so. My hope is to get to the blue slopes on snowboarding.

I finally replaced the Flying Eagle wheels (66mm/90a) with Them wheels (58mm/90a). The original wheels were badly out of shapes when I learned to do the power brakes. They were to the point where I could feel the wobbling, which made dropping in a bit scary. I took a while to do the research because I didn’t know if all the aggressive wheels were compatible. In addition, aggressive wheels were so expensive. A pack of 4 wheels cost $40. For 8 wheels, I would spend $80 and I didn’t know if the wheels would be any good. I was also contemplating on getting a new pair of aggressive skates for $150.

A few weeks ago, I found special deal on Roller Warehouse: $20 for a pack of 4 Them wheels. With free shipping, I ordered 2 packs. Replacing the wheels were easier than I had imagined. I am loving the new wheels. They are smoother. The wheels are also smaller, which made skating more stable.

With the new wheels I am holding off on buying another pair of aggressive skates unless I find a good deal. I still am loving my Flying Eagle Enkidu even though the H-block is a bit too small, which makes grinding and stalling harder. I am just going to spend more time working those skills.

This morning, I tried jumping into the quarter pipe, fell down, and hit my head on the metal ramp. Fortunately I had my helmet on. I still felt the impact. I left the skate park and sat on the bench to make sure I could drive home. I took off my helmet and realized I lost my glasses. I looked everywhere, but couldn’t find it. I can’t recall what I did with it.

I had been rollerblading almost everyday for about half an hour. I used the quarter pipe the most to pump forward and backward. I also got a hang of the 180 turns on the pipe. I learn how to stall as well as how to grind. I still have a long way to go, but I am taking my time and being more cautious. I just want to use aggressive skating as a form of exercise.

I haven’t set my foot in the ice rink for a long time. I need to pick up figure skating again. Once the summer is over, I hope that public sessions at the ice rink near my workplace will change so that I can take my lunch break and hit the rink.

I can’t wait for the winter to ski again. I bought a used snowboard. I might give snowboarding another try. It looked fun, but I couldn’t get a hang of it. We’ll see.

I bought a pair of three-wheel YF YouFu skates on Amazon to replace my four-wheel Rollerblade Zetrablade. I want a comfortable pair of skates for skating on paved bike trails and boardwalks. The last time I skated on the boardwalk in Wildwood with the Zetrablade, I felt the pain on my feet.

I took the YF for a spin on the bike trail yesterday and it felt smoother. The big wheels were intimidating because they sped up. In addition, the skates have no heel brake. My T-stop isn’t so good. I need more practice. My power stop is decent, but I am not sure if I can do it at a fast speed.

I need to spend more time with the YF to get a grip on it. I spent $90 for it on Amazon Warehouse and I’ll definitely put it to good use. I am still searching for an affordable aggressive pair of skates.

I haven’t stepped into an ice rink for at least three weeks. I guess I am taking a break from ice skating. I don’t when I am going to pick it up again. I am stuck at the loop and flip jumps.

I only rollerblade for half an hour each day. I am not learning anything new. I just keep doing the same things over and over again. I am not making any progress at all. I am losing my passion for rollerblading as well. I felt intimidated when I met much better aggressive skaters. I used to be the only rollerblader at the parks, but now there seems to be more. They were super friendly, but I just felt embarrassed.

I am not sure where I am heading with these sports. I guess I am showing my age after all. I still want to skate recreationally though.

My ice skating progress is stalling. I still can’t accomplish my flip and loop jumps. I am about to hit the reset button and go back from the beginning to relearn all the techniques the correct way. I just plowed through them the first time and now I am stuck. It’s time for me to let it go. My kids have moved on a long time ago. They don’t even want to skate around the rink for fun.

I am not making much progress in rollerblading either. My power stops were good, but they caused my wheels to worn out. I can’t find the wheels for my Flying Eagle aggressive skates to replace. I might just look into getting a new pair either USD Sway or Roces. I am learning to do fakies and turns on the quarter pipes. The other day, I watched a guy skated effortlessly around the bowl. He just jumped into the ramp without coping and he did a fakie from the high bowl with ease. I was in awe. I’ll get to his level one day. For now, I am just enjoying what I have accomplished up to this point. My kids aren’t interested in rollerblade anymore despite my attempt to get them to the skate parks.

My kids are looking forward to skiing though. My wife and I started to buy gears for them. Since I can now tuning up our skis in our basement, we can get used skis that are still in good conditions. I have sharpened, fixed the bases, and waxed our our skis. Once the winter arrives, we’ll be able to hit the slopes.

I bought Đán a used snowboard. The board and the bindings appear to be in good shape; therefore, I am not sure why the seller only listed it for $35. All I need to do now is tuning it up and getting him a new pair of boots. The board is a bit heavy. I am not sure if Đán can handle it. We’ll see!