FAQ's

When do I need to start getting fit for my ski trip?
Your ski fit programme needs to be started ideally eight weeks prior to your ski trip. This will firstly get your body ready for the intense exercise that it will be receiving when you are away and secondly giving you the stamina and strength to enjoy your holiday that much more. With a stronger and fitter body your risks of injury with be somewhat reduced, you will be able to ski for much longer with the added bonus of having enough energy left to enjoy the evening!

How can I get the most out of my ski trip?

Start each day with some easy runs to warm up; this is also important after lunch or a break of more than 15 minutes.
Before putting on your skis or board, do at least 3 simple stretches of thigh, calf and arm muscles.
Stop skiing or boarding if you feel tired to avoid injury from loss of control.
Good back care is essential for skiers and boarders. A simple exercise to strengthen your back is to arch your back while standing with hands on hips.
If you are luckily enough to be having a long ski holiday, a rest day is advisable after 3 days of skiing to allow your muscles to replenish vital energy sources.
Consider a pre-session assessment and extra exercise program prescribed by a fitness instructor or personal trainer

What type of exercises are good for preparing for a ski trip?
There are four basic components to ski fitness that are necessary for better skiing and less injuries:

Cardio: 3 to 5 times per week, lasting 30 - 45 minutes (i.e. Circuit training/roller blading/cardiovascular machines in a gym setting/running outside etc.)
Flexibility: Stretch all of your muscle groups for 20 - 30 seconds before and after a workout. Pay special attention to the tendons and ligaments surrounding your joints.
Strength: training is essential to maintain a solid athletic position throughout a long day of skiing. Without properly training your muscles for such a vigorous workout, you'll feel fatigued early on and sore the next day. Pay attention to your quadriceps, where they do the most work of the downhill.
Balance and Agility: these pay a key role in becoming a better skier, incorporating drills to enhance these abilities will better prepare you for any terrain the mountains and trails have to offer. Consult with a fitness trainer at your local gym or personal trainer to develop a program that works best for you.

What type of exercise is best for weight loss?
The biggest fat burner is aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking leading to running and using the cross trainer. You need to get your breathing to a point where you are starting to get breathless, but if you are asked a question you can answer with a 3 or 4 word sentence. If you struggle with this you are working too hard, if you have no problems and are using more words.......you need to go faster!

If you want to burn more calories during an aerobic workout, you will need to add some resistance work to your programme. Muscle needs more calories to work than fat, so by increasing your muscle work load you will burn more calories during an aerobic session.

Will I bulk up if i work with weights?
No, as long as you keep your weights light and increase the repetitions you are doing. Ideally you need to be doing 15 to 25 reps, 1 to 3 sets. By doing this you are working your muscles in a way that will not bulk.

What is a healthy balance diet?
An ideal healthy balanced diet consists of a mixture
of all food groups: Carbohydrates, fat, protein,
vitamins, minerals and water.

Complex Carbohydrates can be found in pasta, rice, potato, porridge, cereal, lentils and kidney beans to name just a few. To increase your fibre intake try using whole-meal pasta and rice. 60% of your daily intake should be carbohydrates.

Try and eat unsaturated fats such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated, which are found in fish, nuts, seeds and oils such as olive oil. Surprisingly 30% of your daily intake should be make up of fats.

Proteins are found in fish, poultry, meat, eggs, cheese, milk and soya bean products. Try eating more white meats such as chicken, cut down on red meats and cheese (a small matchbox is the size of one portion of cheese!). 10% of your daily intake should be proteins.

Eating plenty of vegetables will give you all the vitamins and mineral your body needs to stay healthy, with the added bonus of extra fibre to keep the body functioning better! Fruit is good for you, but try to keep it down to 2 to 3 pieces a day as they do contain natural sugars.

How can I keep my back healthy?
You may wince at the thought, but exercise is the best therapy for persistent back pain. Yoga and Pilates are said to be the most helpful with walking and swimming coming close behind.

Three tips for keeping your back healthy:

Exercise regularly - walking, swimming, yoga and Pilates are excellent for strengthening back muscles.
Maintain good posture, and movement patterns, to help prevent back problems.
If you get back pain, keep doing everyday activities and take some light exercise.

How often should I change my programme at the gym?
You should change your programme every 4 to 6 weeks; muscles get used to working in a set way and start to get lazy. If you are not getting the results you want whether that is weight loss or toning up, you're probably not changing and increasing your exercises regularly.

Tips to boost your workout:

Increase the resistance you use when your usual number of reps gets easy.
Use a range of training methods so your body gets more of a challenge.
Take shorter rests to up your work rate and allow you to fit more exercises into your session.
Change the order in which you do the exercises, this means overtime you will work your muscles more evenly.
Vary your lifting speed to challenge you muscles in different ways.
Use a mixture of aerobic methods (such as running, cross trainer, rowing) to use your muscles in different ways.

If you have any questions, please contact Lorraine and she will do her best to answer them for you.