http://blog.fitskiing.com Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:54:52 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Andrew Hooge, CSCS For some reason whenever I finish a tough day on the slopes I crave a big bowl of steaming hot chili and an ice-cold beer. I'm not alone. Whenever I stir up my favorite chili recipe everyone comes running, spoon in one hand, and a beer in the ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2008/02/17/andrews-great-steak-chili/ Guest Blog Paul Hooge Crested Butte February 9, 208 Finally sunny days and 20º as February lives up to expectation. The slopes were relatively crowded for this particular weekend with mostly locals riding the Paradise Lift up to the North Face T-bar to access the extreme terrain. The skiing is perfect with ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2008/02/16/snow-jam/ Review: Garmin Forerunner 305 The Good -Fairly accurate measure of vertical feet skied -GPS keeps you from getting lost when skiing the backcountry -Keeps track of calories burned so you know how many calories you need to consume to properly refuel -Accurate heart rate monitor that can help you improve your aerobic fitness and anaerobic ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2008/01/22/map-your-skiing/ Andrew Hooge, CSCS Symptoms of Altitude Sickness High altitude is defined by elevations above 5280 feet (approximately 1 mile high). A sudden change in environment from sea level to high altitude can produce symptoms of dizziness, nausea, insomnia, diarrhea, restlessness, and shortness of breath. Palpitations or fast heartbeat, headache, nasal congestion, coughing, ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/12/30/mitigating-altitude-sickness/ Andrew Hooge, CSCS Ahhh...there’s nothing like the feeling of fresh snow underneath your skis during the first few days of the season (until a champaign powder day comes along of course). After a long day in the air I finally landed in Crested Butte, Colorado last night. I was ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/12/24/get-your-legs-under-you/ Mother nature has graced the Colorado Rockies with close to 6 feet of fresh snow in the last 8 days. Here's a pic of a local in Crested Butte just to give you an idea of how much snow has fallen. Get your body and skis tuned up ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/12/07/72-inches-of-freshies-in-crested-butte/ Andrew Hooge, CSCS Have you ever endured an all day ski outing that left you stiff as a board the following morning? Speaking from experience, it’s no picnic. Over the years I have discovered a specific series of exercises and therapeutic modalities to be very helpful in alleviating these ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/12/03/30-minute-fix/ Paul Hooge Eight inches of snow fell on the deck, followed by twenty-two days of Indian Summer with blue bird skies, cold starry nights, and the sound of snow buns hissing in the distance. A late autumn high-pressure bubble sits on us again, but this is not unusual for the ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/11/15/the-view-from-mt-crested-butte/ Andrew Hooge, CSCS When I work with a new athlete, I ask them a battery of questions ranging from if they have a family history of heart disease to what their current workout routine looks like. Yesterday I began working with a skier whose workout was fairly thorough but lacked virtually ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/11/11/powerful-posterior/ Andrew Hooge, CSCS Do you plan on skiing the backcountry this year? If so you might want to check out Bladerunner’s new $700 snowsports jacket with integrated GPS. I just got my hands on one and it is pretty darn sweet. The jacket, released last week by the British clothing ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/11/08/gps-to-the-rescue/ Andrew Hooge, CSCS What could be better than water to rehydrate after a long day on the slopes? Spanish researchers have discovered that lager could be a better rehydration tool than a glass of water. Apparently it has something to do with the carbonation, salts, and sugar. Twenty-five lucky students took ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/11/03/beer-after-the-bumps/ It’s about 6 hours from the start of the men’s giant slalom in Soelden, Austria and Team America is off to a rocky start, and I don’t mean the conditions. If you’ve dozed off over the last few months, that’s Bode’s new private team. Plagued with hamstring issues early this ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/10/28/bodes-back-injury/ By Paul Hooge I don’t mind short road trips; perhaps 500 miles each way is a sane distance. I don’t often fly because you cannot haul a bunch of old or antique skis on planes easily (packaged they may resemble some sort of missile). This September my trip began in ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/10/16/70-years-of-fitness-and-a-road-trip/ Have you ever cruised the slopes only to find yourself fatigued or cramping half way down the mountain? Enlyten Strips, a new electrolyte product claims to help mitigate these problems. Why are electrolytes important you ask? Electrolytes are important because your muscles (and other cells) use them ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/10/15/enlytened-new-product-proves-itself-on-the-slopes/ Every year about this time I feel like a kid in a candy store. I begin thinking about which mountains I’m going to ski, what chance encounters I might have on the lift, the new gear I’m going to test on the slopes and what gear I would like ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/10/08/building-my-base-notes-from-my-training-journal/ Our mission at FitSkiing.com is to provide skiers with the latest, cutting edge health and fitness information, tools, and advice so they can ski longer and play harder. We are dedicated to promoting longevity within the sport, advancing skier skill levels, and helping snow sports enthusiasts find the gear best ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/10/02/fitskiingcom-mission/ Concussion Discussion Recently, my dad was skiing through some extreme terrain in Crested Butte, Colorado. He is one of the best and safest skiers I know. So when my father told me he smacked his head on some hard pack and was diagnosed with a mild concussion; my breath, ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/02/16/head-first/ Three Foods for All-Day Energy I receive many questions regarding what types of foods to consume while on the slopes. There’s no one answer to this question. Below are a few suggestions to keep you motoring on the mountain. -Powerbar Gu: According to Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/02/11/eating-on-the-run-or-on-skis-in-this-case/ Are you Overtraining? Do you feel exhausted even after a good nights' sleep? Are your muscles more fatigued than normal after a day on the slopes? If so you might be overtraining. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), overtraining can be described as “excessive frequency, ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/02/04/break-time/ The Importance of Wearing a Helmet In 2002 more than 23,000 snow sports enthusiasts suffered head injuries on the slopes. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) there is a 40 percent reduction in the risk for head and neck injuries among skiers and snowboarders when a helmet is ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/01/31/head-strong/ 20-minute workout to energize your skiing this year! Most of us have a hard time fitting in all the chores of our daily grind let alone mustering up our muscles to push some iron. Don’t let the only six pack on the slopes be the one your curling at the ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/01/30/try-the-january-jump-start-program/ Guest Blog by Paul Hooge When I was 14, some 48 years ago, I stood in the basement of my parent’s house in Columbus, Ohio gazing alternately at the window well to freedom and the backpack on the floor in front of me. My plan was simple: exit the window, ride my ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/01/27/follow-your-dream/ The Importance of Wearing a Heart Rate Monitor In a recent tip of the day I mentioned the importance and effectiveness of wearing a heart rate monitor. Since I received so many emails regarding how to properly use a monitor I decided to discuss it here. Think of a heart rate monitor ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/01/22/keep-the-beat/ How to maximize overtraining To many, maximizing overtraining may sound a bit like an oxymoron. In the late 1960’s Russian exercise scientists discovered that after 3 weeks of “very hard” strength and conditioning work the athletes needed to back off a little on their training. They found that applying 60 percent ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/01/17/the-60-percent-rule/ Mark Verstegen, owner of Athlete’s Performance in Tempe, Arizona recently penned, Core Performance: The Revolutionary Workout Program to Transform Your Body & Your Life. His clientele is a who’s who of professional sports. Soccer player Mia Hamm and baseball star Nomar Garciopia are just two of the athletes that add ... http://blog.fitskiing.com/2007/01/14/book-review-core-performance/