Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
For snowflake enthusiasts, ’tis the time of year that the gym membership starts to collect dust, as a day on the mountain becomes the preferred method for our daily physical activity. Skinning up for a few hours to earn your turns, hammering through heavy Pacific Northwest elephant snot, leaning back for leg burning waist deep pow days, or digging out a 500-pound snowmobile all add up to a solid day’s workout. However, a couple of resort runs and chair lift rides may not be enough to keep you in fighting shape — not to mention the plague of bad weather days when no turns are even made.
Making it to the gym can be a stretch in the winter months, and for the traveling snowboarder making it to a gym while on the road is another daunting feat all together. After all, hotel rooms scream, “do nothing!” Maybe it’s the fresh white linens, the room service option, the little chocolate on the pillow, or knowing that you don’t have to clean your room while you’re on vacation that zap our fitness motivation. Suddenly the sneakers that we packed as a testament to our workout may as well have caught fire with the gym, as our motivation seems to dissipate while on the road.
Maybe it’s for the best, as the creaky treadmill on floor three could be a season ender. The pile of excuses is endless when trying to stay on top of our workout routine while staying in hotels.
But now that I have gained your sympathy and trust, here are a few reasons to counteract the justification you have created to not workout. As with everyone, I also have to find the motivation to workout while I’m on the road, but along with eating right, these are some of things that help me stay motivated while traveling.
Down Days – Planning a shred trip ahead of time will save money, but lets be honest its equivalent to playing chess blind. The conditions are likely to change and you can quickly be sidelined by down days. The most important thing to remember? Use it or lose it. Keep that machine of yours oiled up. Rest is important and necessary! No arguments there. Sitting around all day and doing nothing is potentially negative rest. Inactivity can cause tight muscles and create less than fluid movement for the action packed day to follow. Keep the blood flowing like the apres beers and go for some light exercise on the rest days — a quick suggestion for an easy fix would be a walk and/or vinyasa yoga.
Jet Leg: Your circadian — a fancy word for your internal clock — gets remixed when you travel. It’s a biochemical mechanism that helps coordinate your sleep cycles as the days and seasons change. When you hop on a plane and fly across a few oceans you confuse it and jet leg is the result. Committing to your destination’s time clock can serve as a great start, but the internal bits of your clocked are hard wired near solid at times. Some research has shown that the activation of your external body, such as muscles can help your internal clock get back on the path of restful sleeps. Squat more, sleep better.
It is THAT Way to the Beach: Aesthetically the break won’t be a big deal, as it is said to take two weeks to see a visual atrophy (break down) of muscle. Being a lazy room service fiend can trigger a lack of motivation to get going again when you return home. Lake and beach season will show up quicker than you think. Two weeks away plus a delayed week or so when you return home is not ideal for being beach ready. A little bit of exercise consistently through the winter will make a huge difference in the long run.
Muscle Imbalances: On piste activities are great producers of muscle imbalances. A little tender loving care to the cardinal muscles that get forgotten has been shown to decrease injury and increase performance. Which means more time riding for you.
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Season Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that slinks in when the eyes don’t receive enough natural light. Grey days can mean snow, but mean less light. Px-exercise! Exercise helps increase your endorphins, and has been shown to combat depression, which means sweating more can help you combat the winter blues.
With all that in mind, here are ten exercises to get your muscles fired up, your blood flowing, your body one step closer to beach ready, your legs ready for the pow, and endorphins flowing. No landmark Crossfit workout here. Just a casual circuit that can be done anywhere with next to no props.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
Plank-Ups
1. Start in a plank position.
2. Drop one elbow down. Followed by the other.
3. Reverse movement to come back to original position.
4. Keep core engaged and shoulders over wrists.
Pro Tip: Should take approximately 60 seconds.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
Table Top
1. Extend right arm out and left leg back, parallel to floor.
2. Pulse arm and leg up equally roughly 6 inches.
3. Keeping back flat and torso neutral.
4. Repeat with left arm out and right leg back.
Pro Tip: 30 seconds per side.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
Mountain Climbers
1. Start in plank position.
2. As quickly as possible alternate right and left knee to chest, while staying in plank position.
Pro Tip: 60 seconds total.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
Side Plank
1. Right shoulder stacked over right wrist.
2. Hold for time or pulse bottom hip towards ground and back up.
Pro Tip: 30 seconds per side.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
Military Push-Ups
1. With elbows hugged towards body lower to floor
2. Push back up keeping body in a straight line.
3. Core engaged.
4. Option to bring knees down.
Pro Tip: 60 seconds total.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
Burpees
1. Jump both knees in towards hands.
2. Come to standing and jump as high as possible
3. Bend down and plant hands just in front of feet and jump back to plank position.
Pro Tip: 60 seconds.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
Side Crunch
1. Grab a towel between hands and raise arms above body with feet hip width apart.
2. Actively pull towel part.
3. Bring right leg up to the side with knee bend and torso towards right, keeping upper body up right. Do not hinge forward at the hips.
4. Return to center.
5. Repeat on other side.
Pro Tip: 60 seconds total.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
Lunges with Torso Twist
1. Step forward the distance required to have right knee tracking directly over right foot.
2. Lower back knee just above the ground
3. Bring fists to touch and actively push them together, with elbows parallel to the ground and shoulders away from ears.
4. With core engaged and a straight back twist to the right and hold for 5 seconds.
5. Return to center.
6. Repeat twist in same direction 10 times.
7. Switch sides.
Pro Tip: 10 twists with five second holds per side.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
Bed Dips
1. Hands on edge of bed with elbows in lower until shoulders and elbows are at the same height.
2. Legs straight or knees bent.
Pro Tip: 60 seconds total.
Photo: Courtesy of Taylor Godber
Cardio Blast
1. Run on one spot as fast as possible on bed.
Pro Tip: Two minutes total.
While you’re getting into fighting shape, don’t forget to eat right. Need a little guidance? Here are 6 Foods to Help You Rip and Recover.
