THE ski season is just starting to get going, which is great news for winter sport-lovers.
An addictive sport, whether you ski competitively or just enjoy a week’s holiday, it’s a lot of fun for everyone involved. However, those who do ski will be aware of the risks involved.
With this physical activity, there is a possibility of injury, which is greater for novice skiers or those who don’t prepare properly. It’s important to try and get ‘ski fit’, to avoid this and aid fast recovery after a day of shredding.
Skiing and snowboarding are hard on the legs, particularly on quadriceps and calf muscles, and it works other parts of your body that you don’t use in everyday life, so if you haven’t prepped you will ache after a day on the slopes.
No-one wants muscle soreness and ‘wooden legs’ to cut short or spoil your time on the slopes, so lots of people hit the gym or try spin classes to tone up their legs.
However, with increasingly busy lives, many people can’t commit time to regular exercise sessions. Luckily, there are things you can do to prepare and get the most out of your trip.
- Stretch & Practice Yoga
Try some light yoga and stretching before and after you hit the slopes. Yoga teaches you how to hold your body in alignment, engage your core and glutes, and control your centre of gravity, all of which will improve your form.
By regularly stretching, you can balance out your tighter quads with looser hamstrings, and release tension from painful feet, ankles, and calves.
Warming your muscles by stretching before you ski will make them less prone to injury during exercise, and doing the same post-ski is integral to helping your body recover and relieving sore muscles. If you can, accompany stretching with some rolling – if you can’t bring a foam roller, try it with a tennis ball or golf ball.
- Take some of our powerful little berries which are 'magic' for recovery!
You could see this one coming. Naturally, we are going to suggest you take CurraNZ, but it’s for a very good reason! Our supplement, which is made from the ‘King of Superfoods’ New Zealand blackcurrants, is packed full of anthocyanins, which have been proven to accelerate recovery in several ways, meaning you'll be hitting the slopes fresh day-in, day-out.
The bioactives reduce tissue damage and reduce reactive molecules that cause damage to healthy cells.
Pluls, blackcurrants increase blood flow by up to 35%, meaning you can go harder for longer before tiring. This enhanced blood and oxygen delivery serves to reduce fatigue and enhance lactate clearance. Ultimately, taking CurraNZ will help you ski harder for longer while reducing muscle soreness, what’s not to love?!
Our advice: To get the best performance and recovery effects, start taking CurraNZ every day for a week before you depart on your skiing holiday.
- Have a hot soak or an ice-cold bath
At the end of a long, cold day on the slopes, a nice warm soak in a bathtub – or a hot tub if you’re lucky – is just the thing your mind and body will need!
The warmth of the water will increase blood flow to muscles, soothing aches and pains and allowing you to relax for a better night’s sleep.
However, if you are suffering from inflammation then ice is your best bet. Avoid hot tubs as the heat and increased blood flow will only aggravate any existing swelling and make things worse. Put an ice pack on the affected area, or if you’re brave enough, try an ice bath! This is the best remedy for pain, combined with stretching.
- Hydration is King
Above all, as with all other sports, hydrating properly and replacing the water lost over the day is the best thing you can do to help the body repair itself.
The higher you go the more dehydrated you will become, which is further exacerbated by physical activities like skiing and snowboarding, and unfortunately, any alcoholic drinks you have at après won’t help either. Drinking water or electrolyte fluids throughout the day will help manage this and ensure you don’t crash in the evenings after a physically demanding day.
