Preparing for winter sports

The winter sports season is once again upon us. That means snow fun, skiing, cross-country skiing and finally, après-ski. Of course, you want to travel well-prepared, so you can enjoy the fresh snow and beautiful slopes without any worries. We will give you some tips below so that you are well-prepared and can enjoy carefree skiing. Read on below!

Prevent knee injuries

Being on the long skis all day can quickly lead to knee injuries. This is not only painful, but also very annoying for the rest of your skiing holiday. Your knees are constantly under pressure, which can cause many complaints to the knee joint. We therefore recommend wearing a knee brace. It provides support and protection and is also very comfortable.

Make sure your body stays warm

In winter sports areas, it is naturally cold. This makes for perfect skiing conditions, but is less pleasant for your body. Wearing compression clothing is a real must. Think of special socks, compression socks, compression shorts or a compression shirt.

Choose extra support in your ski boots

While skiing, you do not wrap your feet. Also, a ski boot contains a flat sole. This can cause several complaints. The complaints listed below are common:

• cold toes
• tired legs and feet
• cramps in the toes, leg or foot
• a numb feeling in the toes
• Shin-bone complaints

Wearing the right insoles can give you the perfect support while skiing. An orthotic in your ski boot offers you protection and support. It also increases wearing comfort.

Ensure a relaxing trip

Wearing travel stockings will ensure that you travel relaxed during your trip. Blood flow in the legs is optimized and the removal of metabolic waste is accelerated. This way, you counteract tired, swollen legs when you travel.

Prevent wrist injuries

While skiing, a lot of pressure is put on your wrists. It is therefore important that you wear a wrist support. A wrist support offers protection and support to your wrist and can be worn under your ski gloves. It is made of breathable material and therefore very nice to wear.

Exercises for your winter sports

Not only is wearing the right protective clothing good preparation for winter sports. Also remember to do exercises that strengthen the muscles in your body. That way, you can prevent injuries to some extent. Good, solid core stability is incredibly important when skiing and snowboarding. If you practice the exercises mentioned below three to four times a week, you will be sure to be well-prepared for your trip.

Planking

Lie down on a mat and then come up so that only your forearms and toes touch the mat, keeping your elbows under your shoulders. Tighten your abdominal muscles without hollowing your lower back. Stay in a straight line as straight as possible and make sure your buttocks don't rise too high. Start slowly with 3 times 30 seconds and build up slowly. When you have mastered this, you can also try planking on your side.

Squats and Lunges

Place your feet hip-width apart and turn your toes slightly outwards. Sink through your knees as if sitting on a chair and then come back up. Make sure your back stays straight, and the knees don't go past the toes. You can start with the 3 times 15 squats and build up from there. Have you mastered this quite well? Then you can choose to extend the exercise with lunges. Take a big step forward with your right leg and sink through your knees until your left knee almost reaches the ground. Then step back and switch legs. Start by doing 3 times 10 lunges and build up from there.

Knee flexions on 1 leg

Stand on one leg, hook your other foot behind your lower leg, and then bend all the way through your knee until you almost touch the ground. Then came back up again. Do this 10 times and then switch legs. You can start with three times and then build up. To make it more fun and challenging, you can also vary this exercise.