Snowboarding gives your body an all over workout and is particularly good for your cardiovascular system, leading to strengthened heart muscle. Snowboarding works out many different groups of muscles building your body strength and leaving you toned all over. These include abdominal muscles, for firm abs, calf muscles and your hamstrings. Snowboarding is great for weight control burning between 250 and 650 calories an hour when boarding for fun. At competition level you could burn a massive 1250 calories an hour.

Snowboarding is also a great way to help your kids lose weight!

In order to make sure you get the best out of snowboarding you sure ensure you have warmed up before hitting the slopes. Make sure you stretch your muscles to minimise the chance of injury. If you are a beginner you should make sure an experienced instructor teaches you the basics on a bunny slope, however there are some general hints and tips you should follow.

Firstly, make sure you bend your knees, although this seems obvious many people fail to do so and consequently have less control of the board. You should aim to keep your body relaxed so it can easily absorb the impact of any bumps you may encounter. It is also very important to know how to stop, if you are facing downhill make sure you quickly apply pressure by digging your heels into the board. If you are facing uphill quickly apply pressure by digging your toes into the board.

Once you are a bit more experienced you may want to experiment by trying some snowboarding tricks. There are many to choose from, a great intermediate trick is a 360. This involves a 360 turn in the air and is visually very impressive. It is important you are comfortable with ollies before attempting this trick.

You should also be confident at 180 turns. First you should find a spot your feel comfortable with. When you come up to the jump, crouch right down and make sure your knees are bent. Then twist your body and get ready to jump. When you do hit the jump, unwind your body whilst keeping your knees bent in the air, spin the last 180 degrees.

It is important to make sure you land with your knees bent and also try to make sure you are landing on both feet. This tricks is bound to make you look impressive on the slopes. It is also important to make sure you have the right gear, to look the part and feel confident on the slopes.

It is often an idea to rent or borrow clubs, first of all to see whether you are likely to want to make the commitment to the game. If you decide that you want to invest in a set of clubs then there are several options available. Top of the range equipment can be expensive, and it is probably more sensible to try a set of clubs which are more suitable for beginners and amateurs. The basic clubs required for golf are a range of irons, ranging from a three to a nine, plus a putter. You will also need a sand or pitching wedge for the times when you don`t quite manage to hit the green.

Over time you will be able to determine more clearly what weight is correct for you, but you should be able to gauge reasonably well whether the length of the club is correct. Top name brands such as Wilson, Regal and Slazenger produce a range of equipment which is suitable for those new to the game. These are sets which you can put together yourself following advice and research.

You can however, buy a complete set from one manufacturer, such as those by Ben Sayers, Top Flite and Hippo. These sets supply you with everything you will need, and will often come complete with a golf cart to carry them in. These sets tend to have irons, wedges, putter and a driver. You may also have the option of choosing a hybrid wood club which is often referred to as a rescue club. However, the hybrid wood club is not an essential club for beginners.

For the beginner, there is also a choice to be made regarding the type of golf ball you choose. Each design has its own features. You can buy practice golf balls, which will always be useful. Made by manufacturers such as Titleist, they tend to be slightly less expensive, although there are arrange of prices available. Another option are reconditioned golf balls, or lake balls which have been recovered from lakes and water hazards.

Distance balls by manufacturers such as Titleist, Nike and Wilson are better for less experienced golfers as they produce less spin and more distance.

Golf shoes are another consideration when starting golf, and although some non golfing footwear may be suitable, in the long run a pair of good golf shoes will help you maintain grip and help your stance. Manufactured by Nike, Footjoy, Benross Golf, Adidas and Oakley among others, it is worth carrying out some good research and obtaining advice before buying.