Sad About Summer? How About Getting Excited for Off Season Ski Training?
[Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 48 seconds.]
At the bottom of this post is a follow-up from Monday’s entry on 9/11 based on some of the emails I received in response. Plus one of the hubs’ favorite quotes, which I love.
As we approach mid-September, the unofficial end of summer has arrived. Depending on where you live, this might mean back-to-school craziness, less beach days, closing up the pool or boat for the year, etc. Sad face.
It also means that snow season will be upon us very soon! Activities like skiing (downhill/cross-country), snowboarding, snowshoeing, etc.
Out with the hubs and a friend on Mount Baker snowshoeing. Fresh powder!
It’s very important to get outside during this time of year as the days are shorter. We all need Vitamin D for the following benefits (list not all inclusive):
Bone health, including preventing osteoporosis
Metabolic health
Cognitive health
Immune health
Mental health, including anxiety and depression
Translation: Getting outside while being active solves two problems at once!
Some of you may live in places where these activities are close by and you get to do them on a regular basis.
Some of you may have a big trip (or two) planned to frolic in the snow in a far away locale. I know many east coasters, for example, who love to fly out west for downhill skiing and snowboarding.
“Great skiers are made in the summer”
I had breakfast with a friend last week who told me this quote and I told her that I was stealing it for this post. The statement was made by her son’s ski coach, and he’s correct. It also applies to any other winter sport.
Yes, I know I said that summer is already unofficially over. But, no, it’s not too late to get a plan together for the winter!
Whether near or far to your favorite snowy destination(s), these winter activities engage different muscles in your body.
Arms and shoulders (balance - more on this below)
Lower back
Glutes (aka rear-end)
Hamstrings
Quads
Core (if you’re making turns, you need to generate a significant amount of force)
Grip strength (if you’re using poles)
You get the idea. And these issues are exacerbated if you are sedentary for most of the day.
Are you one of those people who wants to invest more time in yourself but are unsure how to go about it?
How are you tying it all together?
When you’re participating in these sports in real-time, these muscles need to be working together. And if you haven’t done this training in the gym, the muscles are not going to be able to work in concert on the slopes.
If you’re working with a personal trainer in the gym, are you doing this kind of training? Or are you doing endless squats, lunges and bicep curls? Are you doing unilateral work for balance? Same questions with online programs.
For skiers, your arms are your balance point. If they don’t have the requisite strength, it’s going to impact everything else. Think about it.
If your arms are falling to your sides, you’re going to shift backwards. And your toes are going to be very angry because they are jammed against the front of your boots!
Think about the investment
We know that winter sports are not cheap, whether they are local to us or whether we need to travel to them.
Imagine if you spend lots of money to fly to Jackson Hole, Tahoe, Breckenridge or Whistler, and you can’t fully enjoy it because your body is only prepped for après-ski?
I mean, who doesn’t love good après-ski activities like spiked or unspiked hot chocolate? But you also want to be able be outside in the fresh air having fun with your family and friends in the mountains.
Go Long can help you find the right coach to work with so that your body is prepped for snow season.
9/11 Post Update
Thank you to everyone who reached out on the 9/11 post and for asking about Vinnie Bag O’Doughnuts. This site captures some of the essence of what made Vinnie “Vinnie”, particularly the line:
“Vincent will long be remembered by his family and friends for his irrepressible humor, his never ending friendship, his furrowed brow, his comical cynicism, and his angst with style.”
All of these were very true. This remembrance from the NY Times was actually spot on.
We knew him as this really funny guy with a fantastic sense of humor, and had no idea about him being a member of Mensa. That said, you knew he was sharp as a tack.
I met Vinnie back at Morgan Stanley in the ‘90s when I was lucky enough to have him assigned to our team as an intern. He was definitely known as Vinnie (not Vincent), but somehow one of the executives on the floor came up with the “Vinnie Bag O’Doughnuts” moniker. Maybe he was sent out on a doughnut run one day. I don’t remember, but the name stuck.
We actually overlapped for a few months while he was living in California and we became close friends. Many reasons exist for why his passing was so tragic, but for me, he was just starting to come into his own and accepting himself for who he was right around the time he was killed.
He somehow also had a sixth sense. When he moved back to NYC (before I knew I was moving back), he gave me a framed picture of him in his new office and said, “this is so you don’t forget about me, Jill!” Ah, Vinnie…
This is the picture in the original frame he gave me. Yes, I still have it.
The annual copy and paste exercise never gets easier. And no, I still haven’t been to the 9/11 memorial.
The hubs’ favorite author is Neil Gaiman. One of his most famous works is “Sandman”. In that story is a quote:
“You get what everyone gets - you get a lifetime.”
Sometimes it’s too brief, like Vinnie’s.
But it’s never too late to make the most of it.
