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For some people, the first snow means only one thing – “digging out” woollen socks and blankets from the wardrobe and instantly going into hibernation!
For others, snow brings incredible excitement and joy, because it means that the winter sports season is starting – skiing above all!
The fact is that people who have once stood on skis never stop being hooked on this sport. Once you feel the benefits of skiing, it is hard to give up this winter activity. And there are plenty of benefits, because skiing is healthy, fun and dynamic! So let us list how skiing has a positive effect on body and mind.
Skiing as a “cure” for winter blues and for body mobility
Skiing is an exceptional sport that involves not only the physical but also the mental, social and emotional aspects of our lives. You are familiar with the term “winter depression”, aren't you? Skiing is precisely the “cure” for winter lethargy: it helps you overcome it through a combination of physical activity, fresh air and as much sunshine as possible.
The physical benefits of skiing are more than obvious and easy to measure – if you are a skier, of course. However, people who have never skied do not know about some “hidden” benefits, such as the activation of additional brain centres and increased brain activity while skiing. In professional terms: proprioception is the ability of the locomotor system to respond appropriately to specific and often unusual static and dynamic stimuli. Put more simply, it is the body's ability to recognise, voluntarily or reflexively, the position of the body and its parts in space and time, as well as the spatial and temporal parameters of those positions. Skiing therefore requires good coordination and balance, which “trains” the brain. While skiing there are so many small movements and body positions we have to be aware of in order to ski well. Even as beginners, the brain works “at 300 km/h” to keep up with constant changes in body position, which again means extra work for the brain and for the rest of the body. The more we ski, the more we strengthen our awareness of how our body parts move. This matters because proprioception (the ability to adapt) weakens with age, so the more we engage in proprioceptive activities, the more slowly it declines. A classic anti-ageing sport!
When should you start preparing?
Even experienced skiers should be careful and start preparing for their winter holiday at least a few months before the season, so that their enjoyment is not spoiled by sore muscles or – heaven forbid – an injury. It is simply impossible to go from complete inactivity to a body ready for full days of skiing in a short time.
The best preparation is an active lifestyle and recreational sport all year round. People who are not physically active on a regular basis should start preparing at least a few months in advance, so that they arrive on the slopes reasonably fit.
Simple exercises – for many hours on the slopes
Useful exercises for the leg joints and muscles include various types of squats with the feet closer together or further apart, half squats, lunges, two-footed jumps forwards, backwards and sideways, jumps from one leg to the other, jumps from a squat and so on.
It is also important to work on the abdominal and back muscles. Over time, gradually increase the intensity of the load and the number of repetitions.
The best way to gauge the load is the feeling of mild fatigue in the muscles used at the end of the workout.
A final tip
Our advice to beginners is not to spend too many hours on the slopes at first, but to be careful and build up their time on skis gradually and patiently. Those who overdo it and, as often happens, end up with sore muscles should know that they cannot get rid of the symptoms completely, but they can ease them. Aspirin and alternating hot and cold showers are recommended for this.
Either way, no giving up! Make the most of all the charms and benefits of the winter idyll, don't get lazy, enjoy yourself and have fun!
See also: Group lessons, Private lessons
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