Mountain sports : before departure , think well prepared ...

When winter sports holiday approaching, this is an opportunity to INPE ( National Institute for Prevention and Health Education ) remind some tips to prepare physically for mountain activities.
Exercises for warming
Before leaving for winter sports, it is essential to obtain a specific preparation for the leg muscles , loosen joints , or work balance. This preparation helps to control the risks .

Practice throughout the year several various physical activities and involve specific preparation about 1 month before departure for the mountains are ideal conditions for the preparation and believes INPE . " Mountain biking, jogging , cardio are excellent disciplines for the winter sports ," he says .

However, it is not always easy to practice regularly all these activities, which is why some key recommendations should be observed when to ski safely and in good conditions .

The INPE recommends some simple preventive actions , appropriate to the capacity of each and can be practiced throughout the year. According to him, it seems essential to build muscles to prepare the body for exercise: walking walk up and down the stairs , go swimming , practicing gymnastics exercises daily , running to maintain his stamina.

An exercise example: circuit training to renew 5 times is to make a slight knee flexion-extension does not exceed 120 ° of flexion . The back rest and vertical feet wide apart ( 20 repetitions ) . The same can then be performed in front slot (20 reps per side ) .

Then " the chair " seems quite appropriate : the subject is seated with his back resting against a wall and without support in the buttocks in position " schuss " to maintain as long as possible .

To manage and develop the sense of balance , disciplines such as dance , trampolining , gymnastics are excellent.

Moreover, as soon as we can stay balanced on one foot as long as possible with eyes closed ( to the photocopier , telephone, while brushing teeth ... ) is a simple to perform everyday gesture and the most dynamic and motivated , it is recommended that short trips hopping hopping and controlling balance.

Another tip is to stretch to prevent muscle injury and promote recovery . Note that for a stretch to be effective, it should not be painful. He must feel the power of the muscle and the latter wins in length.

It gets results by keeping the long stretch position , or at least 30 seconds , trying to always go a little further and blowing when the voltage becomes more bearable ( make 2 or 3 repetitions by stretching) .

An example of stretching for the legs : stand up with your back straight . The left hand grabs the left ankle to bring the heel to the left buttock. The right knee is slightly bent . The right hand stabilizes the body resting against a wall. The thigh should not be stretched away from the other . We must try to keep the position for 30 seconds and then switch to the other side .

For calves : splitted back and resting against a wall. The calf stretch is back, knee straight and foot flat . Throughout the stretch, we seek to push the heel into the ground to keep the power on the calf while increasing its slot before advancing the knee without moving the feet.

Finally, to ski safely , we must work its topographical memory : cycling is highly recommended because it allows the leg muscles and speed ( similar to ski ) also helps maintain its capacity to monitor and vigilance .

Some nutrition tips
Physical preparation before a trip to the mountains is essential but it is equally important to pay attention to his diet to address skiing in the best possible shape.

It must indeed take into account criteria such as the cold and dry air of the mountains and adjust its power accordingly air. The mountain climate is certainly very beneficial, but it should not be forgotten that a subject unaccustomed can undergo various viral attacks ( intense temperature changes , wind, cold ) of oxidative attacks (sun, dry air ) .

It is therefore strongly advised to increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables and fresh produce particularly oxidants. Moreover, " eating fat protects from the cold " is a misconception to fight. On the contrary , we must focus more pasta and starchy foods that contain carbohydrates . These allow , in fact, gradually release the energy they provide .