Work to get in shape now so it will all be downhill later

THE slopes are ready, but is your body?

For optimum results, you should have started pre-ski conditioning six weeks ago, says Linda Crockett, education director for the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Assn. of Snowboard Instructors. And that’s if you are one of the 45.9% of adults who get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week or at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three days a week.

Even if you vegetate between ski seasons, it’s still not too late to boost conditioning. Here is some advice:

Regular exercisers: Keep up your regular routine, and focus on improving flexibility, strength training and cardiovascular fitness, Crockett says.

Intensify your workouts to better prepare yourself for the sometimes start-stop motion of winter sports. If you walk for cardio training, walk for five minutes, then pump it up by jogging for one or two minutes. Then repeat for the rest of your workout.

For strength training, add at least one session to what you are already doing. Try 45 minutes on weight machines each session, Crockett advises. Leg muscles are important, so spend time strengthening the quadriceps and hamstring muscles.

Do abdominal curls too, Crockett says: “It’s like a sit-up, but you don’t sit all the way up. Do three sets of 12 every other day or at least once a week.”

Don’t neglect upper-body conditioning -- your biceps and triceps -- especially if you’re planning to cross-country ski, Crockett says.

Infrequent exercisers: First, get a physician’s OK if you’re older than 40 and haven’t been exercising regularly, or at any age if you have a preexisting medical condition, says Dr. John DiFiori, chief of the division of sports medicine at UCLA and a sports medicine physician at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.

The key? Start slowly, even if it is the week before your ski trip. Don’t overdo the conditioning program, he says. Begin with 10 or 15 minutes three times a week, he advises, “then gradually increase your time.”

The same advice goes for resistance training, if you haven’t been around weights for a while. “Maybe start once a week and gradually increase,” DiFiori says.

Senior citizens: Even if they run rings around younger snowboarders and skiers, Crockett advises seniors to pay more attention to their bodies. “If you aren’t recovering as fast [from a run or a day of winter sports] drop the intensity a bit or just take more breaks,” she says.

DiFiori agrees, but adds, “The same advice would apply to younger, unfit skiers.”

Once on the slopes, remember there’s a difference between warm-up and stretching, DiFiori says, although people often confuse the two. “Warm-up is important to do,” he says.

A gradual warm-up of five to 10 minutes improves muscle elasticity during the workout and psychologically prepares you for exercise, according to the American Council on Exercise.

Start at an easy pace and progress gradually once you start skiing or boarding.

Stretching is important, he says, but it must be done right. Get advice from an expert.

“If you don’t stretch consistently and properly, you can increase the likelihood you will be injured,” he says. “Stretch very lightly before and more deliberately after [activity].”

Afterward, don’t forget to cool down, which helps bring your body back to normal. Lower the intensity of your exercise five to 10 minutes before quitting.

Healthy Traveler appears every other week. Kathleen Doheny can be reached at kathleendoheny@earthlink.net.