There’s tonnes of information on the internet about getting fit for a skiing holiday. There is absolutely nothing on getting in shape for a motorhome skiing holiday.
James and I are both more or less starting from scratch. When we met, we were both pretty fit – we had time to go to the gym, James was climbing regularly and I was doing three Pilates classes a week. What happened? A combination of injury and ‘fat ‘n’ happy’. Sitting about planning a radical sabbatical has really taken its toll and we’re both feeling well, yuk. A motorhome ski trip is just what the doctor ordered.
With just a few weeks before we hit the road on the Winterized Project, I’m having a major panic about a severe lack of leg strength and stamina and that’s just the on-slopes fear. My biggest concern is being able to haul-ass out of bed each morning and participate in #vanlife in any kind of useful way at all.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not in-valid. I’ve got all my limbs. I’m just not prepared. And now I’m running out of time to make an impact. However, my good chum John Camilleri who owns his own health and fitness business (Boomerang Pro Fitness – check him out) would be horrified to hear me talk such guff so, with him in mind I’m pulling my socks up and getting to it.
Small space fitness equipment for a motorhome skiing holiday
It’s all very well watching the #vanlife glitterati striking unfathomable poses on mountain edges across instagram but I suspect that trying to master down dog to cobra in a sheet-ice aire is only going to result in a gob full of brown snow and frostbite. I’ll leave that thanks.
So after a fair amount of research and considering available space, we’ve come up with a selection of kit we’re going to take to make sure injuries are kept to a minimum (no illusions that 6 months will be entirely grumble free).
Remit:
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- YouTube videos
- Easily storable
- multi-functional
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#1 Suspension trainer
[amazon_link asins=’B06XP4D79L’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’winterized-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’be7a88a0-c556-11e7-814f-03dd45b9a73f’]Had one of these bad boys for ages and they’re brilliant. The suspension trainer is pretty bullet proof in terms of skill and whilst I don’t expect to be able to thether it to the Motorhome door, there’s no requirement to be in spandex to use it. You can spend over £100 on these but it’s really not necessary. The main difference is the adjustment mechanism but I can live with a bit of faffing for £70.
#2 Foam Roller
[amazon_link asins=’B018MHUGC4′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’winterized-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’eee89aa0-c556-11e7-a18a-4793fe0f188a’]Exactly what it says. Awesome as a massage tool for post skiing muscle aches and you can use them to assist with pilates moves too. We’re going with a mid range one because in my experience the cheaper ones don’t offer as much support and can collapse after a while.
They also keep wine bottles safe in transit.
#3 Resistance loop bands
[amazon_link asins=’B01H3Q8R08′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’winterized-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’7b806d0c-c557-11e7-bec7-bdcf5f63100f’]These come in a bunch of different resistance levels so we can work up as we get buff and I suspect they’ll come in handy for all manner of things.
#4 Powerball
[amazon_link asins=’B000GQP0PS,B00NIY30FM,B00B7Q8210,B00B7QASBW’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’winterized-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’b9556f49-c557-11e7-aa63-91ef578d2322′]
If you’ve ever seen one of these you’ll know they look like toys but they’re far from innocent play things. They’re grimace inducing pain machines. We have two. They’re super important for grip strength and arm power. However, not an activity to undertake as a silhouetted backdrop – you’ll see what I mean if you get one.
#5 Lastly: The wobble balance board
[amazon_link asins=’B004FNZX8C,B004FNPHGK,B00TXGWWGM’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’winterized-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’24cc1dd3-c558-11e7-8006-add3a2d6d7bc’]Snow sports are all about balance and core stability. It makes such a difference to fatigue and recovery to have a good strong core when you’re pushing it on and off piste. Plus, it makes you feel like a total kid. It’s a simple tool and if it doesn’t kill us, we’ll be ripped by the time we get home.
A bit about YouTube
I don’t really understand how anything ever got done before YouTube. Here’s the guy I like doing some ski season fitness.
So there you have it. An entire fitness kit that fits snuggly between the captain’s seats in the cab. Where they’ll probably stay for the entire trip.
