Grab your skis to lose lbs

Cosmopolitan’s fitness columnist Niko Algieri has revealed some of the fitness benefits of our favourite sport.  Not only do you burn lots of calories whilst skiing but you also tone a variety of core and leg muscles.  Niko suggests one way to motivate yourself to lose weight and tone up is to have a target or a goal which is a reward for all your hard efforts.  The ‘I’ll buy a dress two sizes too small as an aim’ type of approach but as an alternative he suggests booking a ski holiday and having the goal of getting fit before you depart. We have some great January deals as a goal to get you going, call Mr Motivator on 01483 791111 or visit our website to find out more about our ski holidays in January starting from £249pp!

We asked our marketing manager Louise what she normally does to prepare herself for a ski holiday, she said “I usually prepare for a ski trip by planning to increase my cardiovascular training in the gym a little, and I sit against a wall for up to 5 minutes, increasing the time closer to the trip. It’s ok, but maybe not enough.”

 Niko believes that before you depart on your holiday “any exercise is good but with skiing you need specificity.  Training specific muscles to perform specific exercises.”  He trains his clients on a TRX trainer previous to skiing trips to help them really prepare. 

Louise travelled to Canada to sample one of Nikos bootcamps last year.“During the week we were taken to try an hour of ‘TRX’, a giant elastic band, slung somewhere secure, which provides all you need for a full-on work out, under Niko’s guidance.  It was a tough workout and really felt like you were working all muscles necessary for ski”.  However if you can’t get your hands on equipment like the TRX Niko suggests simply running as a great way to prepare for your ski holiday.  “It develops your Cardiorespiratory fitness (heart and lungs).  One legged movements like lunges and single leg squats are great for strength muscular endurance and balance.”  

We also asked Niko about the health benefits once you are out in resort. We asked him to estimate how many calories the average skier burns in an hour and he said “on average my own estimation from general exercise and skiing experience I would say between 400-500 Calories this would be for a general recreational ski.” If you factor in that carrying your equipment to and from the lifts can burn up to 100 calories a day then think how many calories you will be burning over the course of a ski week?

When skiing different conditions you use different muscles more, for example when skiing moguls it’s a massive use of all leg muscles and the core, Niko said with regards to skiing moguls “ you work your hamstrings and glutes the most” When you are in off-piste terrain, again it’s a lot of work on your legs but this time on your quads but also your core.  “Shoulders are key in all skiing for lifting the arms to balance” When skiing downhill Niko told us that it is the same as with off piste but “with slightly more emphasis on core, also your muscles need to be able to hold static positions for longer, so more muscular endurance needed here.”

Niko stated that “Balance is key during skiing” and that is why we are giving you the opportunity to win a Sweetspot ski trainer.  This is a new ‘dry-land’ ski trainer, which attaches to ski boots.  With a series of four pairs of progressively-smaller balance blocks, it shows you exactly the right point- the ‘Sweetspot’ – to centre your balance.  Finding this spot is essential for developing and improving your performance on the piste. Like and share our post on Facebook for your chance to win a Sweetspot ski trainer worth £45!