Whether your winter getaway includes skiing, snowboarding, running or trekking, planning ahead is the key to enjoying yourself and preventing injury. A progressive fitness regime of cardiovascular work and strength and flexibility training, three to five days a week for around two months before your holiday, will help you make the most of your sporting excursion. We’d recommend a few sessions with a qualified trainer to help kick start your motivation, and make sure you’re doing the exercises correctly.

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A few months before your hols, start fine-tuning your diet so you have the energy to train efficiently. This will also give you the time to recover from your workouts, and progress towards the goals you have set. If you’ve been eating doughnuts and fry-ups, switch to lean proteins and lots of fruits and vegetables. You are what you eat, so make sure you support your fitness regime properly.

If you have any back, knee or neck problems, see your chartered physio or registered osteopath. By treating them now, you’ll prevent your sports holiday from turning into a disaster when you’re using those muscles more than usual.

Lastly, keep in mind that you may be repeating activities day in and day out, so warming up and cooling down are essential, to prevent injury. A good massage may help ease sore muscles, and drinking two litres of water a day is recommended to help you stay hydrated even in cool weather. A day of less intense physical exercise, like sightseeing or strolling around, is recommended to let your body rejuvenate. Remember, as with all things in life, it’s the quality of what you do that will bring the most enjoyable and safest results, not the quantity.

Next page: Your five-step winter workout plan

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