Eating, Dressing and Resting for skiing
Eating
Skiers burn a lot of calories and go through a lot of sweat daily no matter the workout or weather conditions. Here are very important tips on eating and staying hydrated daily to stay healthy:
Skiers burn a lot of calories and go through a lot of sweat daily no matter the workout or weather conditions. Here are very important tips on eating and staying hydrated daily to stay healthy:
- Breakfast: Always eat breakfast every day. This is as simple as a bowl of any cereal or a yogurt and banana.
- Hydration: Stay hydrated throughout the day. Even during arctic temperatures, you will go through water as much as sweating on a 100 degree day. You need hydration before a workout and after a workout. A simple measure is to urinate clear.
- Early afternoon snack: Eat lunch and then a small snack at approximately 1:45-2:30pm. With afternoon practice at 4pm, a 3+ hour gap between lunch and practice without a snack can cause an athlete to crash during practice. The snack can be simple, like a PB sandwich, fig cookies, yogurt and banana, or a little trail-mix. No matter the time of the workout, try to put at least a snack in your stomach 1-2 hours prior to the workout.
- Re-fueling: Have something simple, it doesn't have to be necessarily healthy, but put it in your stomach ASAP after practice (within 15 minutes). This can be chocolate milk, strawberry milk, cookies, HoHos, Pop tarts, PB sandwich, banana and yogurt, figs, trail-mix, you get the picture. Then definitely eat supper within an hour of the workout.
- Race prep: Avoid experimental foods, high-fiber foods or excessive amounts of red meat the day of and prior to a race. With that being said, also do your best to keep your pre-race diet consistent. Test new foods and fueling theories on practice days and find your favorite ingredients that make you feel good.
- Vary your diet: outside of race day, try new stuff in the grocery store. Make sure you eat a varied diet and get plenty of dairy products.
- Take a multi-vitamin. This doesn't have to be anything fancy. It can be a chewy dinosaur or a chalky adult version. It can be a whole dose or just half, but seriously consider a daily multi-vitamin supplement.
- A good diet keeps your body's immune system strong.
Dressing - See the Complete Guide HERE
Appropriate ski clothing is generally "breathable" or moisture-wicking; the ability of fabric to allow water vapor to be transmitted through the material. This is clothing that is made of polyester, spandex, lycra, polypropylene and even some wool. NEVER cotton. Cotton holds the water and will cause chaffing and the "Chills." Along with wicking base layers, it is best to "Layer" clothing so the athlete can easily shed layers or add layers due to heat or cold. For example, starting with shorts and long sleeve shirt; if temp drops, adding a wind vest or jacket. Moisture-wicking clothing is available From Adventure Cycle and Ski and Sole Sport. You can also find it at Wal-Mart, Target and Fleet Farm. When shopping for this clothing, it is important to make sure the tags say the clothing will "Pull sweat from the skin" or "wick sweat away."
There are approximately three weather situations we dress for. They include warm (50+ degrees), transition (35-50 degrees) and cold (35 degrees and below). Below is a brief discussion on dressing for each.
Warm weather dressing and skiing:
This is the easiest to dress for, ski practice would simply require shorts and a t-shirt. If the forecast calls for decreasing afternoon temperatures, the athlete may need to plan on having a long-sleeve shirt to put on if the temps dip below 60 degrees.
Transition weather:
This gets more difficult, if not the most difficult. The athlete needs to plan for the temperature transitions that will occur rapidly. We may start practice at 55 degrees but end at 45 degrees and windy. He/she needs to dress to help regulate body temperature and manage sweat. Clothing combinations include: shorts and long-sleeve shirts or long tights and long sleeve shirt. On top of these you can add a light hat and gloves; or add a wind vest or light long sleeve wind jacket. As the temp drops, it becomes increasingly important to have a dry shirt ready when the workout is over to avoid "The chills."
Cold weather:
We've practiced at -15 before. We've done it when people are safely dressed. It is important to watch the forecast.
This is usually difficult for anyone who has never dressed for working-out in cold weather. Dressing for sledding and ski practice are two completely different tasks and require separate clothing. It is important to have wind-resistant clothing on top of layers that pull sweat off the skin. Jogging pants and sweatshirts do not suffice and can be potentially dangerous. A Columbia winter jacket is too much warmth. Simple nylon warm-up pants and jacket from running are great over moisture-wicking long sleeve shirt and tights. This can be more affordable than the technical ski clothing that is more costly. Men are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to get wind briefs. Women a wind top. Moisture-wicking is necessary in socks and hats too. Socks need to be clean and can't be loose on the foot. Hats must cover the entire ear. A gaiter or "Buff" that can cover the neck and face can prevent a lot of pain. A wind vest is a great option. Gloves need to be technical gloves. Unfortunately, the cheaper the glove the more dangerous it could be in cold weather. We recommend having at least one pair of "Lobster gloves" or "split finger gloves." You can wear these up to 40 degrees, albeit a little warm, but they also function incredibly well into negative temps. Lastly, it is most important in this temp category to have a dry shirt ready immediately after the workout to avoid getting "The chills."
Appropriate ski clothing is generally "breathable" or moisture-wicking; the ability of fabric to allow water vapor to be transmitted through the material. This is clothing that is made of polyester, spandex, lycra, polypropylene and even some wool. NEVER cotton. Cotton holds the water and will cause chaffing and the "Chills." Along with wicking base layers, it is best to "Layer" clothing so the athlete can easily shed layers or add layers due to heat or cold. For example, starting with shorts and long sleeve shirt; if temp drops, adding a wind vest or jacket. Moisture-wicking clothing is available From Adventure Cycle and Ski and Sole Sport. You can also find it at Wal-Mart, Target and Fleet Farm. When shopping for this clothing, it is important to make sure the tags say the clothing will "Pull sweat from the skin" or "wick sweat away."
There are approximately three weather situations we dress for. They include warm (50+ degrees), transition (35-50 degrees) and cold (35 degrees and below). Below is a brief discussion on dressing for each.
Warm weather dressing and skiing:
This is the easiest to dress for, ski practice would simply require shorts and a t-shirt. If the forecast calls for decreasing afternoon temperatures, the athlete may need to plan on having a long-sleeve shirt to put on if the temps dip below 60 degrees.
Transition weather:
This gets more difficult, if not the most difficult. The athlete needs to plan for the temperature transitions that will occur rapidly. We may start practice at 55 degrees but end at 45 degrees and windy. He/she needs to dress to help regulate body temperature and manage sweat. Clothing combinations include: shorts and long-sleeve shirts or long tights and long sleeve shirt. On top of these you can add a light hat and gloves; or add a wind vest or light long sleeve wind jacket. As the temp drops, it becomes increasingly important to have a dry shirt ready when the workout is over to avoid "The chills."
Cold weather:
We've practiced at -15 before. We've done it when people are safely dressed. It is important to watch the forecast.
This is usually difficult for anyone who has never dressed for working-out in cold weather. Dressing for sledding and ski practice are two completely different tasks and require separate clothing. It is important to have wind-resistant clothing on top of layers that pull sweat off the skin. Jogging pants and sweatshirts do not suffice and can be potentially dangerous. A Columbia winter jacket is too much warmth. Simple nylon warm-up pants and jacket from running are great over moisture-wicking long sleeve shirt and tights. This can be more affordable than the technical ski clothing that is more costly. Men are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to get wind briefs. Women a wind top. Moisture-wicking is necessary in socks and hats too. Socks need to be clean and can't be loose on the foot. Hats must cover the entire ear. A gaiter or "Buff" that can cover the neck and face can prevent a lot of pain. A wind vest is a great option. Gloves need to be technical gloves. Unfortunately, the cheaper the glove the more dangerous it could be in cold weather. We recommend having at least one pair of "Lobster gloves" or "split finger gloves." You can wear these up to 40 degrees, albeit a little warm, but they also function incredibly well into negative temps. Lastly, it is most important in this temp category to have a dry shirt ready immediately after the workout to avoid getting "The chills."
Recommendations for cold weather skiing:
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Resting
You need rest every night. A minimum of 7 hours of sleep is very important. When it comes to preparing for a race, it is two nights before that your body needs solid sleep. For example, if you have a race on Thursday, Tuesday night's rest is very important. Any reduction in sleep can drastically compromise your body's immune system.
The ski team weekly schedule will always include a "Rest day." This is intentional, as every week you will be challenged with workouts. The rest day will usually be Sunday. It is extremely important to avoid physical activity equal or greater than an average practice workout. Your body needs the rest.
It is also important to follow the schedule in terms of pace and output. Athletic activities outside of skiing are okay but they need to be communicated to the head coach so your output is managed. This is important the entire 12-week season, not just going into Sections or State.
If you choose to do Junior Olympic races, your rest day will shift to Monday. This is only done after speaking with the head coach.
You need rest every night. A minimum of 7 hours of sleep is very important. When it comes to preparing for a race, it is two nights before that your body needs solid sleep. For example, if you have a race on Thursday, Tuesday night's rest is very important. Any reduction in sleep can drastically compromise your body's immune system.
The ski team weekly schedule will always include a "Rest day." This is intentional, as every week you will be challenged with workouts. The rest day will usually be Sunday. It is extremely important to avoid physical activity equal or greater than an average practice workout. Your body needs the rest.
It is also important to follow the schedule in terms of pace and output. Athletic activities outside of skiing are okay but they need to be communicated to the head coach so your output is managed. This is important the entire 12-week season, not just going into Sections or State.
If you choose to do Junior Olympic races, your rest day will shift to Monday. This is only done after speaking with the head coach.