If you’re a Third Culture Kid (TCK) who’s living with your family in a northern climate, imagine the thrill of working as a skijoring team with your dog during the winter months.
Skijoring — cross-country skiing with your dog — is a shared adventure that brings health and social benefits to you both.
Many people dislike winter. Nearly 19 percent of the global population say they experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or Winter SAD (W-SAD). Skijoring can effectively help prevent and treat SAD.
A 2002 Norwegian report, The Oslo Immigrants Health Study, concluded that several factors, including country of origin, latitude (distance North or South from the equator), age, (biological) gender and having an existing mood disorder impacts whether you will experience W-SAD or not. The Oslo report had a target study population, including residents of Oslo, Norway, who were born in Turkey, Sri Lanka, Iran, Pakistan and Vietnam.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, anyone at any age can experience SAD. However, SAD generally starts between ages 18 and 30. Common symptoms of SAD include:
- Feeling sad or depressed
- Loss of interest in things you previously enjoyed
- Increased or decreased appetite
- Fatigue
- Inability to sit still
- Difficulty with concentration and decision-making
- Feeling worthless
- In extreme cases, thoughts of suicide
WHAT RESEARCHERS KNOW ABOUT PREVENTING SAD
Researchers agree on two concepts: First, get outside to enjoy winter activities. Second, have a positive mindset toward the winter season. These are two keys to escaping depression in winter.
One of the lifestyle measures recommended by England’s National Health Service suggests outdoor recreation is one of the most effective ways to prevent and treat SAD.
Learning a winter sport that you can enjoy alone with your dog, with family or as a club experience allows you to enjoy winter as much as the warmer months. In addition, according to the Compendium of Physical Activities, a 150-pound/68-kilo cross-country skier will burn about 1,000 calories by moving at 8 miles per hour/13kph or faster.
WHAT EXPERTS KNOW ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF OUTDOOR RECREATION
In his book “Digital Madness,” Nicholas Kardaras, Ph.D., wrote: “We’re just not meant to be sedentary, screen-staring and meaning-devoid creatures. Psychologists have known for decades that the best non-pharmaceutical antidepressant is physical activity.”
Kardaras and other mental health researchers advise getting outside for physical activity with other people, which is essential in your mental health toolbox, especially during winter.
Psychologists have known for decades that the best non-pharmaceutical antidepressant is physical activity.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SKIJORING
Around 1,200 years ago, domesticated dogs began pulling gear and people for hunters, trappers and artic explorers. People traveled across frozen ground and bodies of frozen water in Greenland, Alaska, U.S.A., Canada and Siberia — a vast region of Russia and northern Kazakhstan.
The practice, now known as dog mushing, usually involves three to 20 dogs pulling a sled driven by a driver. Today, in nearly every country with snowy conditions, people combine the principles of cross-country skiing and dog mushing in a hybrid sport called skijoring.
Skiing is especially popular along the Arctic coast and in Scandinavia, the birthplace of skiing. Some adventurous people also ski with a horse instead of a dog.
Check out Part 2 soon for tips on getting started with Skijoring!
