Stamina, skiing and senior skiers. Have you noticed that the older you get, you have to work out harder to maintain an ever-decreasing level of conditioning? Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know all the reasons but the reality is vigorous work-outs just delay the inevitable. As we get older our: Bodies aren’t as flexible; Bones are more brittle; Muscles don’t recover[Read More…]
Outdoor Expert Says Consider Your Purpose For Walking. [Editor Note: Steve Hines will be teaching a hiking boot fitting workshop at the REI in Reading, MA., on August 10 at 6:30 pm. If you are in the area, drop by REI at 279 Salem St. and say hi.] I like to hike. I hike for exercise, escape/“mental health” and to enjoy[Read More…]
Simple Tai Chi for Senior Skiers. [Editor Note: SeniorsSkiing.com welcomes Tommy Kirchhoff, a long-time ski instructor and a certified Tai Chi master. He has been teaching senior exercises for 12 years. Tai Chi is an ancient martial art that has evolved to slow-moving poses that is practiced all over the world.] I learned something valuable recently: my health and my[Read More…]
Are you tuning or terrifying your body? Some experts say stretching before exercise helps performance and lessens injuries. Others say stretching can cause damage. So what should you do? “Skiers who stretch at the top of a lift are crazy!” says Jo Garuccio, a PSIA Examiner, Snowbird ski instructor and Triathlon World Champion. “They’ve been on a cold lift and[Read More…]
Most Do, Many Don’t. Here are the results of our latest poll. We are curious about why people do and don’t. Please let us know in the “Comments” section below. And, we are researching an article on stretching for an upcoming issue. There are some exercise and physical therapists who say it’s essential, and some who say maybe not so[Read More…]
The Journey That Began With A Single Step Isn’t Over Yet! Although this will be the last official installment of my personal fitness journey series that began on May 1st, it’s definitely not the end of the journey. I have many more pounds to lose before I sleep and promises to myself to continue to keep. I’ll be posting an[Read More…]
The Battle Of The Bulge Rages On! (Thankfully, Reserve Forces Are On Their Way.) As I enter the sixth month of my personal (and public!) journey to fitness, I continue to make slow, steady progress toward my goal of being in great shape for the slopes come the first snowfall (and it IS supposed to snow in the Sierra this[Read More…]
Five Ways To Start Your Fitness Program. No more procastination. You have from six weeks to three months, depending on where you live, to get ready for snow season. If you are a year-round sports activist, then good on you. If you are a part-timer, weekend warrior, you probably have to start getting more diverse muscles toned up. If you are[Read More…]
From High-Tech to Low-Tech, Great Gear For Getting Fit The best fitness gear you can get requires no expense! It’s at the end of your legs: your own two feet. Walking (or jogging or running) as much as you can in any given week will burn calories and keep you cardiovascularly fit. Being on the move is considered one of[Read More…]
You don’t need a gym. You can lunge around the neighborhood. Nick and Carol Bowling are enthusiastic senior-age Alta skiers who enjoy staying fit year round. They just added lunges to their pre-season fitness routine, and they’ve become lunge junkies. But there’s a learning curve to doing lunges correctly, and they’re still working on it. “Lunges use your own body weight[Read More…]
Exercise your right to stay fit when you go on that summer trip! To all you senior winter sports aficionados out there who still have your summer escape ahead of you: Is fitness a part of your plans? It should be, and it should be easy to pull off. Those days of lazing about day after day, taking afternoon naps[Read More…]
Outdoor Guru Steve Hines Offers More Ideas For Taking A Hike. Summer hiking season is in full swing. The temperatures are warming and trails are dry. After covering the ten essentials in Grow A Hiking Habit: Part 1, some other items will help you more enjoy your hiking. Boots: Stout boots with good support are a must. Look for boots with[Read More…]
How and what we eat is the second half of being fit. Well, they never said it would be easy. Although the exercise part of my journey to fitness is going well (I’ve lost another inch in my upper body measurements), the changing of my diet is going a bit more slowly (I’ve lost only two pounds this month). The[Read More…]
An Expert Offers Advice On Getting Started Hiking is a great fitness activity for seniors. Whether you are an Alpine or Nordic skier, hiking can keep you in shape to enjoy the slopes or trails this coming winter. Hiking is enjoyed on many levels from simple day hikes in your local woods or conservation lands to classic mountain hikes in[Read More…]
This Month’s Main Event: Sound Advice From A Medical Expert. In Part Two I’m going to focus on fitness and heart health, the latter particularly important to me as a favorite nephew of mine who’s only 49 suddenly ended up in the hospital two days ago having a stent put in due to a 100 percent blocked artery. I may have company[Read More…]
Is There A “Right” Amount Of Exercise Time? Most readers of SeniorsSkiing.com are active, engaged folks who enjoy snow sports in the winter and lots of different non-snow activities in the summer. And, most of us like to keep active, because it makes us feel good. That’s important as we become more experienced in years. You might wonder if the[Read More…]
It’s Never Too Late to Take A Lesson. William Smith, age 91, started skiing at Mt. Cranmore, N.H., after WW II. His wife even took lessons from ski legend Hannes Schneider. She quit skiing when she was 73, but Smith continued. He was skiing with his son that morning when I rode the lift with them at Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.[Read More…]
My six-month plan to go from being a couch potato to a mogul masher. I had a revelation and a wake-up call on the slopes of Heavenly Mountain Resort this winter while skiing a few runs with the resort’s director of skier services. I had not taken my own advice regarding pre-skiing conditioning or done anything to lose the pounds[Read More…]
Here’s What You Can Do To Manage Your Inevitable Osteoarthritis. If you’re a snow-sport enthusiast and subscriber to SeniorsSkiing.com, you are most likely a senior with an active life style. We know from our SubscriberSurvey 2015 that many of our respondents not only enjoy Alpine skiing, but also Nordic and snow shoeing, and you ski a lot. More than 55[Read More…]
Poling While Hiking Is An Exercise Multiplier Roger Lohr is co-founder and editor of XCSkiResorts.com and a noted writer on all the varieties of Nordic skiing. More than 10 million Europeans of all ages and fitness levels are Nordic Walking (also known as Ski Walking) with special Nordic Walking Poles. This new fitness activity turbo-charges the normal walking regimen burning as[Read More…]
Shifting From Snow To Summer Activities? Beware Of This New Menace. We’re starting to hike or bike in the woods between the receding snowbanks here in New England. We’ve just learned that you better make sure you review your tick-avoidance-and-protection practices. Powassan virus is yet another tick-borne disease that, according to this new report from CBS, can be lethal. So, this is[Read More…]
Cross country (XC) skiing is a terrific way to enjoy the great outdoors in winter. Is it great for older people that want to stay active? You betcha! From Roger Lohr, founder and editor at XCSkiResorts.com and prolific writer on cross country skiing The pleasures of XC skiing can be a wonderful change of pace for winter activities. Whether you seek[Read More…]
Adaptive Ski Instructor Provides Advice on Predictable Issues for Returnees Alisa Anderson, Smuggler’s Notch’s (VT) adaptive skiing program manager, is a highly-specialized PSIA instructor who, over the past 20 years, has applied techniques and tools for skiers of all kinds who need a little extra help getting down the mountain. She trained at the National Sports Center for the Disabled,[Read More…]
Nationwide Health Insurance Program Supports Senior Fitness. Tune yourself up for ski season and beyond. Get started by checking your health insurance plan to see if it includes Silver Sneakers. It’s a nationwide program sponsored by many health insurance plans, and it encourages older adults to get fit in whatever way they want to. Silver Sneakers gives you access to[Read More…]
Here’s a Must-Read for Seniors Before They Head for the Slopes. Paul Petersen, who begins his 38th season running Bear Valley Cross-Country in California this winter, is 56 years old and comes with the kind of credentials that should make you sit up and take note of what he has to say! He’s been a certified alpine and cross-country ski[Read More…]
