Official: Surfing improves your sex life!

Winter can be tough, its dark outside, cold, wet and your next riding fix might be weeks away. Hang in there champ! Thanks to www.nollie.tv here's five reasons why riding boards like a Snowboards, Surfboards, Skateboards and Spindecks is good for you:

1. Ban boredom. When you've got a board of some description to get on, I can guarantee you'll never utter the dreaded b word again.

2. Travel. Be it surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding or mountain biking, you'll get to go places you might never have discovered otherwise.

3. Body benefits. Get on a snowboard or surfboard and your thighs won't know what's hit 'em. Most extreme activities are also a fast track way to burn calories, and it's fun!

4. Adrenaline. This stuff is the best drug around, and it's as good as free. You'll soon be addicted to getting your fix.

5. Pain. Yes, this is a strange one, but the pain - be it from wiping out or knackered muscles - just makes the good times even more worth it. Plus it puts your every day whining right into perspective.

As if that wasn't enough Nike have just published a survey of 10 000 young European women confirming what we've always known: playing sport improves your self-esteem, perception of success, pride, sex drive and self image.

On average, half the women quizzed were involved in sport, with Germany boasting the most active young women, with 67% of the participants involved in sport, while Turkey had the least at just 41%.

But it's not just the obvious physical benefits that have girls stoked on sport - the survey also found sport makes women stronger emotionally. Of those involved in sport, 41% said they could 'conquer the world', 77% have more confidence in themselves, 77% feel successful, 85% feel self pride, while 62% have raised self esteem. Plus, 68 per cent of those ladies involved in sport, said that sport had an even bigger positive impact on their lives - in their career, education, social lives and relationships.

Conducted by independent consumer research group TNS, the online survey was carried out in The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, the UK, Germany, Sweden, Turkey and Russia, to gauge what drives young women to take part in sport. For more info go to www.nikewomen.com.