The sixth edition of Winter National (Zimowy Narodowy)starts this Saturday, the 24th of November. This year, apart from well-known attractions on ice, there will be a special MultiSport Lab sport and education zone for whole families prepared on the main pitch at the National Stadium in Warsaw. Children as well as their parents and grandparents will have a chance to use multimedia exercise equipment and take care of their health.
Ice skating, curling or ice hill? Winter National has become a permanent fixture in the city’s event calendar. In the previous edition its attractions were enjoyed by more than half a million of visitors. This year Winter National will also include a special MultiSport Lab zone which is an additional offer for ice skaters and an alternative for those who don’t feel very comfortable on ice. This is an area created for whole families where every generation will be able to discover interesting and innovative ideas supporting physical activity and healthy life style. Children will try their hand at a multimedia physical activity test prepared by Active MultiSport Schools, facing the battle with monsters from the Immobility Galaxy. Adults and teenagers will exercise in the virtual world using the ICAROS machine. Seniors and everyone willing will also have an opportunity to check their body composition using special scales and bad posture using a computer as well as have their blood pressure tested and consult a dietitian or a personal trainer. At weekends the MultiSport Lab zone will be transformed into an exercise room as well as a place for free meetings and workshops with experts on healthy and active life style.
This year Winter National will be open until 19 February 2019 . The MultiSport Lab zone will be available to visitors from Monday through Thursday between 16:00 and 20:00, on Fridays between 13:00 and 20:00, on Saturdays between 12:00 and 20:00 and on Sundays between 12:00 and 19:00.
For weekend afternoons the organisers have prepared many special events. The latest news can be found on the MultiSport website www.kartamultisport.pl/zimowy-narodowy . During the opening weekend (24-25 November) there is a special competition with prizes waiting for visitors – more information available on the Winter National’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/zimowy.narodowy
87 days of winter physical activity
According to the MultiSport Index 2018 study, cycling and running are two most popular sports activities among Poles. We usually choose them from spring through late autumn though. Meanwhile, sport practised in winter has many benefits and ice skating is a good way to exercise and burn calories. Skating for one hour means 500 calories less. This year Winter National will see fitness classes on ice for the first time!
- Ice skating, like any other physical activity, has a very positive impact on our body. It improves exercise capacity but it also shapes and develops our endurance, strength and coordination. When we skate our whole body works and activates muscles that we normally don’t use. Skating makes our legs, spine and arms, which help us keep the balance, work. Sport practised in lower temperatures stimulates our immune system. We temper ourselves. Our body has to adjust to low temperatures which makes thermoregulation processes intensify. This results in an increased energy consumption, meaning burning unnecessary calories. Physical activity stimulates secretion of the happiness hormone which has a special importance in winter when it gets dark very quickly and our mood gets lower – emphasises Dr Janusz Dobosz from the National Centre for Physical Condition Research at the Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw.
Ready, steady… go!
The World Health Organisation recommends adults to undertake physical activities for at least 150 minutes (moderate) or 75 minutes(intensive) a week, also in winter. Winter sports require good preparation, though, including warming up and getting to know one’s own body’s abilities.
- In the MultiSport Lab zone adults, children and seniors will have an opportunity to know their bodies a little bit better by measuring their efficiency level, blood pressure as well as body composition and motorics. Experts on physiotherapy and nutrition will provide free advice. All these elements are very helpful, especially when we start our adventure with physical activity – stresses Adam Radzki, Management Board Member at Benefit Systems, the company who created MultiSport Cards.
Studies show that one in three Poles does not undertake any physical activity, including walking, at least once a month (MultiSport Index 2018). Experts agree that it’s never too late to start moving and physical activity can, or rather should, be practised all year round.
- In the MultiSport Lab zone we want to give everyone an opportunity to discover physical activities which, like skating or skiing, can be practised in wintertime. Therefore, we prepared such activities as yoga or fitness for a healthy spine, thinking about people of all ages. We want to encourage as many people as possible to become active because sport means health and better mood which are not worth being given up – adds Adam Radzki.
Family time at Winter National
Winter National is visited by school trips, fans of winter sports but also whole families who spend winter in the city in this way. Therefore, in this year’s edition of Winter National the organisers made sure that regardless of age everyone finds something interesting. Apart from the MultiSport Lab Winter National will also feature an indoor skatepark, curling, disco ice rink, morning sessions for children, ice hill, carousel, bumper cars and food court.
More information about Winter National and the ice rink opening hours can be found here: www.zimowynarodowy.pl
Media contact:
Agnieszka Bemowska, Senior PR Specialist
517172559 | a.bemowska@benefitsystems.pl
Benefit Systems S.A. has been operating on the Polish market since 2001, and since 2011 has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Benefit Systems is also the only Polish public company with the B Corp certificate of social responsibility in Central and Eastern Europe. The MultiSport card - the company’s key product was launched in 2004 and within several years has become one of the most popular benefits in Poland. The sports cards provide access to nearly 4,000 sports and recreational facilities in over 650 cities throughout the country. In an effort to develop its offer and improve the quality of services on the fitness market, the company carries out a number of activities to support customers, partners and card users. The MultiSport program has also been successfully implemented in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria, where the number of sports card users is systematically growing. Currently, there are over one million MultiSport card users in Poland and abroad.
