Skateboarding is not only cool and fun; it is also a great form of exercise. Mike Perretten from Landyachtz, recently provided us with a some insight on how skateboarding contributes to his healthy lifestyle. Thanks to Mike for his time!

Here is a quick overview of how skateboarding / longboarding fits into my life.

I ski raced competitively until I was 20. From when I was 16 to 20 I attended a special school program which allowed me to ski over 200 days per year. After I “retired” from ski racing, I moved to Victoria to attend the University of Victoria (‘UVic’). I brought a longboard to UVic which I had made the previous summer. I used to board for recreation and as a fun way to get around. That first semester I got reacquainted with an old elementary school friend Tom Edstrand. We decided to start making longboards and Landyachtz was born.

That was 11 years ago.

Basically longboarding started out as somewhat of a replacement to skiing for me. I wasn’t huge into skateboarding when I was younger as I always thought it was more fun to BMX and latter on, to mountain bike. However the boards we are making now are much easier to have fun on compared to the boards that existed when I was 12 years old.

These days I ride as recreation with buddies much the same way I go skiing with friends and it offers a similar experience.

Image Source: Flickr – Blas Brains

Another way I use my board is by commuting to and from work. I live in Downtown Vancouver and our factory/office is only a few kilometers away. If I drive to work it takes me about 15 minutes due to the traffic. If I longboard it takes me about 20 minutes and it is a much more enjoyable experience. By longboarding to work I get a nice little bit of exercise along the seawall to start out the day. If I drive I just end up drinking too much coffee.

The health/fitness benefits of longboarding became super apparent to me in last April. It was April 10th (my 32nd birthday) and I was celebrating by doing a little back-country skiing with an old friend.

We went for a 45 minute hike out of the Blackcomb glacier and into the provincial park, it was a trip we have done several times and you never really want your buddy to beat you on the hike. Well this time I was way faster up the hike than my buddy, which was a little surprising. After thinking about it later on, I am convinced that I hiked faster as a direct result of my improved fitness from commuting to and from work on my skateboard.