By PHEBE LISTON, director and physiotherapist at Ovens Valley Physio
WITH the 2020 ski season going ahead, the recent period of unknown and change in normality means your typical snow pre-season may have been affected more than you realise.
A lot of people who regularly go to the gym or do pilates will be used to hitting the slopes pretty hard from the start of the season without a second thought.
However, given these routines have been interrupted this year, your body may have lost some strength and conditioning. You won’t be as ‘snow-fit’ as you may be used to (unless of course you have nailed your home gym set-up and stuck to your fitness routines).
My advice is to make sure you wean into skiing this year and be a little more conscious about listening to your body.
For a lot of injuries that we see in the physio clinic, a big contributor is fatigue.
Starting with half days of skiing and incorporating a couple more rest breaks than usual will help to manage fatigue and allow you to minimise your risk of injury.
Warm up prior to putting your gear on (for example, do some squats, lunges or calf raises in the car park) and spend a bit more time finding your legs on the easier runs.
This will help minimise the risk of overuse injuries.
Finally, with restrictions easing and more businesses now returning to offering group exercise along with the mountains opening for skiing and boarding, I recommend touching base with a physio to discuss your overall fitness goals and plan for skiing/boarding this year.
A physio can help you tailor your routine to allow for the ideal level of conditioning as well as recovery so you can get the most out of the season.
At Ovens Valley Physio & Pilates, we have a team of physios with extensive snow sports experience.
Get in touch or find more at www.ovensvalleyphysio.com.au.
