This is my shortest ever blog, but it may have a significant impact on your next ski holiday. It’s your first day back on the slopes, and you want to hit the ground running. You don’t want to miss a thing, so you‘re up early, on the first chair, and skiing like a mad thing all day. It feels so[Read More…]
Originally published in the 2020-21 Masterfit Buyer’s Guide Getting fit for ski season doesn’t take a fancy gym membership. What it does take is general cardio training– biking, hiking, running, or even vigorous walking–with some specific strength training that will improve your performance on snow. Just ask Tyler White, who runs iSport, a training facility at Killington that’s a branch[Read More…]
An Aging Athlete Becomes Enlightened [Editor Note: We are reprising this article from Nov. 2015 because it contains important themes of persistence and adaptability. And the book Staying With It was written by one of our favorite authors, the venerable John Jerome, a former editor of SKIING magazine.] What happens when a 50-year-old writer decides to fight aging by becoming[Read More…]
Four strategies make fitness simple When it comes to fitness, the old saw about “use it or lose it” is not only true, for certain age groups, it is a challenge of sorts. Why? Because, according to Dr. Frank Lipman, founder of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center, New York, muscle decline starts at age 40 and actually accelerates every decade[Read More…]
A Lot Of Us Are In The Best Shape We’ve Been In For Many A Year. Gasping for breath up a steep climb recently on the mountain bike with my riding friends, I thought to myself, “Where is the race? Nobody’s going to the Olympics, why are we racing on this ride?” Then it occurred to me that my group[Read More…]
How To Integrate Exercise Into Just About Everything You Do. SeniorsSkiing’s readers all know and appreciate the value of fitness and exercise. Our surveys have shown that when the snow season is over, out come the golf clubs, bikes, tennis racquets, kayaks, hiking boots, and the like. Active lifestyles are us and part of who we are. Enter the Corona[Read More…]
Ride More, Enjoy More With Properly Fit Bike. If you think your bike hates you, it’s time to schedule a bike fitting. If you hurt when you ride, there’s probably a mismatch between your body’s geometry and the geometry of your bike. Sure, all bikes look pretty much alike. They have wheels, pedals, handlebars and seats. And they come in[Read More…]
If You’re Going For A Walk, Bring Those Poles. Easy, Accessible Efficient. Staying active outdoors during the COVID-19 virus crisis is easy and very accessible with Nordic walking, which is a fitness activity that combines walking with specially designed poles to engage the upper body muscles. Like cross country skiing, the poles are used to match each step a person[Read More…]
Hydration and Stretching: Two Things You Must NEVER forget to do before you hit the slopes. If you’ve taken to heart the advice in a previous seniorssking.com article of Paul Petersen, president of Bear Valley Cross-Country in California, on the best way for seniors to get in shape for skiing, you’ve developed and faithfully followed a fitness regimen focusing on balance,[Read More…]
An amazingly simple and immediately effective DIY massage relaxes stiffness and removes pain The foam rolling technique of self- massage is exceptionally beneficial in increasing athletic performance, reducing pain, and helping with injury recovery/prevention —especially for older snow enthusiasts. The medical term for rolling out is self-myofascial release. “Myo” means muscle, and “fascial” refers to the fascia, a framework of[Read More…]
What Happened To Me And WhyYou Should Treasure Your Health And Fitness. As I get older, each ski season is more precious than the one before. I’m pushing 60+ years of skiing, and early in my life, I learned never to take one for granted. Except for being deployed overseas during Vietnam and Desert Shield and Storm, I haven’t missed[Read More…]
Five Basic Exercises Ramped Up To High Intensity Levels. [Editor note: This is the third and final in our series of preparation exercises for senior skiers from Rick Silverman, physical therapist and certified strength and conditioning specialist. We started with basic hip and leg exercises (Oct 25), raised the intensity of those (Nov. 7) and now present a more challenging level of[Read More…]
Revving Up Intensity For Our Five Basic Exercises. [Editor Note: Last month, we reprised a set of baseline exercises focusing on legs and hips as part of a get-ready strategy for this season’s snow sports activities that was originally published in 2016. This week, our exercise guide, physical therapist, certified strength and conditioning specialist and teleskier Rick Silverman, shows us[Read More…]
Ease Into Shaping Up For Snow Sports With Five Basic Exercises. This is an archive article reprised from Oct, 2016. [Editor Note: It’s time to focus on strengthening legs and hips for snow sports. This year, we are going to offer three “flights” of exercise with increasing challenge and intensity for the same group of muscles. We’ll publish these about[Read More…]
[Editor Note: This article was contributed by Peter Schmaus, MD, Orthopedic Spine and Sports Medicine Center, Paramus, NJ. and Senior Attending Physician, Hackensack University Medical Center. SeniorsSkiing.com is very grateful to have his view on conditioning.] Pay Attention To Body Tuning Before You Hit The Slopes Or Trails. Many of us pay more attention to our equipment than the most important equipment[Read More…]
[Editor Note: From time to time, we’re going to dip into our extensive archives for a story that might be useful, interesting, or entertaining. Here’s one from 2014 from correspondent Harriet Wallis.] Starting right sticks all season. My friend says the same thing every winter. She says wants to take a lesson as soon as there’s more snow on the[Read More…]
There Are Other, Fun Ways To Get Ready Besides Hitting The Gym. One of the myths I hear from people at the beginning of the ski season is that they can “ski themselves into shape.” They have not really done any preparation for the ski season and feel that they just have to start skiing, and their ski legs will[Read More…]
Sarcopenia Weakens Muscles In Aging Bodies, But It Can Be Managed. If you’ve been lax about starting, continuing, or expanding your current conditioning program, it is time to get with the program. Many seniors are susceptible to weakened muscle as a natural effect of aging. When was the last time you picked up trash barrel, laundry basket, your bike, kayak,[Read More…]
Bottom Line: Knoweth Thy Limits, Wise One. As I was pounding the rocks of Laurel Mountain on the mountain bike with a group of younger riders here in Pennsylvania’s beautiful Laurel Highlands, I was thinking strategy. At 63 years old, I am still in pretty good shape but the older I get, I start thinking about the old adage “age[Read More…]
It Can Happen, But Don’t Despair. Read On. Sarcopenia or muscle wasting is a condition which affects almost everyone starting about 50 years of age. Do you have it? Look in the mirror: Your once proud biceps and pectorals have sagged, your pants are falling down, no more butt, your legs look skinny. What looks like loose skin is really[Read More…]
A Veteran Ski Instructor Finds Nordic Matches His Senior Skiing Philosophy. Older, wiser, cheaper, what is this about? It reflects on what happens with age for most, but let’s put it into a skiing context. Having taught skiing since 1971, I’ve discovered these are the three adjectives that seem to reflect on one’s skiing philosophy with the passing of time.[Read More…]
Progressive Exercises From Easy To Difficult Can Help You Tone Up. Okay, it’s late October, and you’ve put this off long enough. You need to limber up for the upcoming snow season. Without topping up your muscles and stretching those ligaments, you can hurt yourself and have a very short season indeed. With some daily or weekly fitness routines, you[Read More…]
Here’s One Of The Most Important Stretches An Active Senior Can Do. [Editor Note: Our summer series Fitness Focus is taking a distinctive turn toward several important yoga positions. We’ve highlighted the Squat, the Plank, and now the Down Dog. We are a bit biased toward these poses because we have experienced personal progress and various muscle pain relief by[Read More…]
This Pose Is Considered The Simplest, Most Effective Core Strengthener. “Plank, plank, plank,” says Jan, the exercise instructor at the head of our class. After an hour of kick boxing, we start the floor exercises to end the session. We get into plank position as she intones, “Plank, plank, plank”. The seconds roll by. High plank or Phalakasana pose. The most glorious[Read More…]
Squat Lately? Try It Every Day For A Week And See What Happens. Editor Note: This week marks the beginning of our summer exercise series, Fitness Focus, where we will highlight one particular exercise, activity, stretch, or pose that leads to increased strength and flexibility. Our first is the ubiquitous, simple, and under-appreciated squat. Did you know the squat sit, or the[Read More…]
