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hi December Shape tip for skiing but easy does it Hey there Do you realize that at the next flip of the calendar page there may be snow the air And shortK after that there will be snow on the ground that And will yi be ready for it Will be physically fit enough to ski as well as vou can all day long not if you just sit there doing nothing about Fret not There a still time to whip yourself into some sort of shape before winter arrives And whe you re a down hill basher or cross country streaker whether you re an overweight male or a slight female or vice versa you can improve your fit level and therefore your skiing ability in spare lime The point is that a bit of extra effort now will pay off later on the hill and trails Douglas Firth a Toronto osteopath and founder of the Canadian Ski Patrol System believes that many injuries suffered each year by skiers on thf hills could be less severe or prevented altogether b proper conditioning There ore many excellent programs of exercises he but the most effect program for the skier is the simple one that he or she will stick with right through the season It no good if it s so com plicated they won uc with it He stresses exercise which promotes the three fundamentals of muscle conditioning endurance and strength First of all let s gel figure what you need most The answer to that is obvious nearly needs cardiovascular conditioning which is just a big word for helping vour heart and blood system reach a high of stamina To get on the road to CV condition vou must work hard enough to puff a bit and then keep at it for several minutes The best single general for the skier is probably cycling So get out your bicycle and begin with an easy ride later on you can put more effort into it If vou don I have a see if vou can find an cycle somewhere is a beneficial basic exercise too So is running or a lively game of squash If you den I like the choice so far how about stairs And of course there always walking Take it easy at first make it Then push yourself to the du comfort threshold and try to do a little bit more every other day but only if you feel like il approach to exercise is important To do you the most good for skiing any exercise activity must be started gradually and gently then procticcd con Pain has no place inditioning process I wani to damage You dor muscles start act is After initial begu vital or get sore before you even ve skiing exercise led to avoid that a few days of Knee back down on the floor Do the same move mem with your other leg and alternate right and left any a doien times each Then straighten out each arm alternately from the shoulder another limes each arm When you had a few of this exercise try combining the arm and let movements your right arm straight out ahead at the same time you straight en your left leg behind After a couple of weeks try I with your on and a in hand for weight Eventually you may want to do it with your ski boots on but avoid stressing the muscles with heavy downhill boots Note that alow deliberate is better for your conditioning than and jerk action A well toned abdomen is a help to your back and important skiing Old fasl ait tips are on now too much on the lower a pine but this exercise works on the ibdomen back thigh a and hamstrings without levenng the spine out of Sit on the floor legs together out front hands on the floor behind for sup on Slowly raise your rglt leg off the floor keeping it straight Bring it up as high as it will go com fonably then hold it there for a few seconds or long as possible Lower slowly and repeat with the left leg a few repent at first gradually in crease Begin with bare feet add in a few weeks maybe ski after two months Now the upper abdomen Lie back with the head on the floor knees raised and bent feet Dot on the floor arms at the sides ell your neck muscles to lift your head slowly until your chin is onto your chest this lifting action until your shoulders are just off the floor don raise your whole torso Then lower your shoulders and head back to the floor Ho more than three these plain painfully if they are overworked Let s get a little ity into those hamstrings Silting on the floor let your fingers do the walking down your slowly to your anklea or as close as you can get anklet and hold them for a few seconds Then lean back and relax briefly stretch forward again If later you can grasp yourioes that fine hut don make it a painful objective And don h and jirk forward hoping extend your reach an inch just tears at ti for the following day Stretch slow gradually and pause for several seconds at mum on The quads ihosc muscles on the thighs need those quads stretch Easy it Repeat to begin then add repetition at you feel up toil So much for the formal exercises Of this is Ihe flat Silting gram but it will gel a serious skier started on I irai to letter And they re simple to remember them least nee a dai twice ighl ahead gradually bring your right foot back to your right hip with some help from your right hand Feel the cross country skiers will find them useful loo at every opportunity while cleaning your teeth drinking coffee reading the paper stand with v lur knees well bent not more an ninety degrees and feel quads going to work Another brief exercise for the quads is the well sit with your back against a wall and feet about 18 inches in front pretend you arc sitting on a non existent air Hold the posttiun until the discomfort in your quads tells you to stop Admitted your friends will think you a bit strange they notice this ne behaviour you have the option of explaining it or leaving them mystified Here a related exercise you can practice more fre and without raising as many onlookers eye Every time you sit down anywhere do it so slowly that the quads get a work out Reverse the pro time you get up from a choir country skiers shoulder and to a lesser extent no do downhillcrs So try these two static exercises for the arms Place your fist on the edge of a desk as if emphasizing a point to a thick headed boss and press down as hard as comfortable preferably with your elbow bent at a Provincial SWEEPSTAKE WIN DO TICKETS try a little harder puff a little longer endure a little more discomfort And you II feel so good when you stop Along with general con where your heart and lungs are being asked deliver more oxygen to the hard working muscles there are specific muscle groups which both downhill and cross pay attention to gradually Let start out with the most overlooked muscles of all In the A helpful exercise simply in getting down on floor on your hands and knees with bare feet Slow ly straighten out one leg until it is parallel to the floor from your hip hold it out straight for few seconds the a bring your i