What does winter mean to you?

Guest blog by Martha from MP MASSAGE THERAPY

With the nights drawing in and the temperatures dropping it’s understandable that your ‘Get Fit For Winter’ training may have slowed down. Whilst Autumn lockdown may have you feeling negative, it’s important to maintain focus on looking forward to what you LOVE about winter, and keeping your body feeling fresh! Don’t forget we have big winter days ahead!! Adjust your attention to fitness. Lockdown is the perfect time to boost your health & strength and get #winterready.

Set some winter goals

What does winter mean to you? For me, winter is all about Ski Touring, my favourite kind of day is setting off early with my friends to explore somewhere new. Morzine offers a huge range of ski touring for first timers to experienced riders. If Ski Touring is a whole new concept to you, Guides & Kit are both available for hire! Not only does Ski Touring give you freedom of the mountain, but also, the positive impact of Ski Touring on both physical and mental health is huge.

I always set some goals pre season: peaks I’d like to ski, refuges I’d like to stay in and a fitness level I’d like to achieve before that all happens.

Getting #MountainReady

I stick to these 3 main rules for getting my body ready for winter:

• Activate Muscles / Build Strength
• Stretch Muscles
• Foam Roll Muscles

All three of these actions complement massage & prolong the benefits! Although massage is off the cards for now, it will soon be back and until then, helping your body get ready for winter is key!

Lockdown has made us all get creative with our fitness plans. The 1KM from home lockdown exercise limit is definitely not what we are used to. How can we adapt our exercise this year so we can maintain our fitness for Skiing, Snowboarding and winter mega days?

The best ways I’ve found this lockdown to keep my legs tuned and prepared for winter is to get outside as much as possible. I’ve been mixing up hill sprints & strength workouts with foam rolling & stretching. If you’re not usually a runner, start with intervals. Alternating between running and walking will help strengthen your heart and muscles.

Struggling for motivation? Find it by looking back!

A recent poll I held on my instagram @MPMassageTherapy found that over 25% of you are struggling to find fitness motivation this lockdown. Admittedly, some days the last thing I want to do is go running, but I drag myself out and never regret it! YOU CAN DO IT!!

Looking back on big adventures is the best way I find motivation for fitness. Memories of those big Ski Touring days never leave you & the stoke for experiencing the feeling again keeps me motivated for getting mountain fit! 

Look back on your winter ski & snowboard trips, remind yourself why YOU love winter & use this to get your body ready for those big mountain days!!!

Martha Perry is a Sports Massage Therapist based in Morzine, offering professional Sports Massage + other massage styles in the comfort of your chalet whilst on holiday in summer & winter. The perfect counter to big day on the mountain!

www.mpmassagetherapy.com

[email protected]

@mpmassagetherapy