Twelve New Year's Resolution Strategies for a Skier
A new year is here again, and with it comes the drive to make it even better than the last.
The single most common resolution people give themselves is to get – or stay – healthy (read: Eat better! Exercise more!). Here, we look at twelve good food and exercise strategies to help you hit your new year's goals and become your best skier self – which also happen to be habits to follow for life.
The food they serve at Tordrillo Mountain Lodge is reason enough to make it a goal to go there.
Eat better!
1) Eat a good breakfast at home to avoid reaching for sugar-packed “energy bars” or rolling through the fast food drive-thru line. Check out Allen Tran's "Breakfast Tips for Skiers" for some great advice on the subject.
2) Speaking of Allen Tran (former Dietician and Head Chef for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team), check out the podcast he did with us here. In it, he talks about how we can use food to push our skiing to the next level. While this item isn't an actual resolution, it may inspire you to make some changes.
Allen Tran is the former Dietician and Head Chef for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team, but now works for the Boston Red Sox.
3) Carry a water bottle with you everywhere. The brain can easily be tricked into thinking it’s hungry when we’re actually just thirsty.
4) Choose a Mediterranean diet. It's good for you and real data shows that it can help prevent chronic diseases and increase longevity. Here are the main identifiers and components:
• Plant-based (i.e. whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts)
• Fish and chicken at least twice per week—almost no red meat
• Red wine, in moderation
A " Mediterranean diet" can help prevent chronic diseases.
5) Fast food is OK – well, not Whoppers and fries. We're talking bananas, a handful of pumpkin seeds, hummus with baby carrots, and nuts. A 20-year study from Harvard found a regular diet of both nuts and yogurt independently prevented weight gain. So, stock up on these healthy snacks and put them in baggies for easy on-the-go access, especially when on a skiing vacation where french fries are at the top of practically every lift.
6) Eat s-l-o-w-l-y. Enjoy each bite. Wait a good 10 minutes before deciding to have a second plate.
Make this the year you are the best skier of your life.
7) Don’t buy garbage foods. If it's not in the house (or car), you are less likely to eat it! Keep your shopping to the perimeter of the grocery store, where the fruits and veggies and fish and dairy products live. Avoid the heavily-processed, preservative-rich packaged foods on the shelves in the middle.
8) Pair a soup or a salad with every dinner, which can help you avoid dessert when dining out on vacation. This strategy curbs your hunger and aids meeting the recommended requirement of about 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 2 ½ cups of veggies per day.
Exercise more!
9) Stay consistent. Consistency is key in your exercise program. Short-term goals lead to long-term results. Here are some articles to help with your personal fitness as it relates to skiing:
• Injury Prevention for Skiers
• Your Best Training Move for a Better Ski Season
• Preparing Your Body For Ski Season
• Stretching for Skiing 101
• Après Ski Stretches
10) Set realistic exercise goals and build up slowly from there. Start by sweating 20 minutes a day and always discuss all recommendations with your physician.
Want to go heli-skiing? Set ski goals to keep you motivated and excited to ski.
11) Set ski goals! Want to try heli-skiing? Ski at a new resort? Or just ski that double-black bump run top-to-bottom without stopping? Make it a priority, get motivated, and stay positive – getting fit for those goals will help your overall fitness as well.
12) Ski more, in general. A surefire way to stay happy and healthy is to get out on the mountain with wind in your face. Here are some great resources to help get inspired for your next adventure:
• A Skier’s Guide to Predicting a Powder Day
• Skiing in Telluride: A Primer for Intermediates and Above
• Vermont's Hidden Gems
• Check out our entire collection of travel articles
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This article was written by Alan Safdi, M.D., FACG, and Wagner Custom Skis
Dr. Alan Safdi is past chairman of the Section of Gastroenterology at Deaconess Hospital and served as co-founder and president of the Ohio Gastroenterology and Liver Institute. Dr. Safdi is board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, and is a Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology. He is former chairman of the Crohn’s and Colitis Medical Advisory Board in Cincinnati and still serves as president of Consultants for Clinical Research. He was also co-founder of eMerge Health Solutions, Consultants for Clinical Research, and outpatient GI and anesthesia programs.
