Time to get snow-ready!

We are just 60 days from the start of the 2015 snow season and NOW is the perfect time to get prepared for your time on the slopes.

Your preparation activities should cover both your personal fitness and your equipment.

Equipment wise, you should do a stocktake of all your gear. Make sure you didn’t lose something important like a glove on the last day of 2014. Maybe buy yourself a pair of new comfortable long, thin wool ski socks as a treat to kick off your first run! Check all of your gear for rips, tears and signs of wear. It’s also time to get your board or skis tuned and waxed, as well as bindings checked. A poorly-maintained set up can lead to an early injury so don’t take chances with that. There are some great pre-season offers around town for tuning, so keep your eyes peeled.

Lastly, and most importantly, it’s time to prepare your body. Speak with a trainer or do some research yourself on snow-sport-specific training. Set yourself a plan for the next 8-10 weeks to boost your specific snow fitness.

Such a program would consist of developing the strength and endurance of your legs, glutes and core. You would look to increase your mobility through stretching or yoga, and boost general cardio-vascular fitness.

Some explosive, dynamic sprint, power and agility work would be beneficial as the nature of snow sports is stop and start, and requires on demand response to an ever changing terrain and environment.

Now, time to start snow dancing!

Superfoods – what are they?

As well as being a marketing buzzword, a superfood is a food that has high potency or high levels of important nutrients your body cannot produce on its own. Some superfoods may also have high levels of anti-oxidants which help fight the process of aging and can help in the fight against developing cancers.

Whether you have a deficiency, or just an aspiration to improve your wellbeing, a superfood may provide you with the nutrients you need without taking pills and supplements. Including a superfood in your weekly food selection also supports the preferred concept of long term balanced nutrition as opposed to going on and off diets which is not recommended.

Nutritional rule number one for vegetables – don’t overcook or boil all of the goodness out of your veggies. Light steaming, stir frying with quality oil or using a soup base is best.

Superfood examples:

Kale – The super, superfood – high potency, loaded with vitamins and minerals;

Salmon – high protein, high in omega-3 fish oils;

Blueberries – high in anti-oxidants

and fibre;

Oysters – for their zinc and iodine;

Oats – rich in fibre;

Avocados – high in protein, mono-unsaturated (good) fat and can help supress hunger;

A glass of red – in moderation, a better, healthier choice than other forms of alcohol; and

Nuts – walnuts, almonds – great

for snacks.

Exercise of the month - The push-up

What is so great about the push-up?

The push-up has long been a staple of most exercise programs. It is predominantly a chest, shoulder and triceps exercise, performed in a prone (face down) position. Secondary muscle groups involved are the core, the legs and the greater shoulder girdle.

Used in military training, phys-ed classes, fitness testing or for punishment (give me 20!), the push-up has now become a common feature in most group fitness and training classes on the market.

Here are some great reasons why you should make the push-up a part of your weekly routine:

Variation – Did you know there are more than 20 variations on the push-up you can do for different outcomes?

No equipment required – it’s a completely portable activity;

Different levels – there are push-ups for beginners through to the elite athlete;

Measuring progress – you can see yourself improve over time; and

They are fun!

Push-up facts:

World record in one minute: 123 push-ups

Non-stop push-ups: 10,507

Most in 24 hours: 46,001