FITNESS FOCUS WITH...
Libby Limon
Eat Yourself Fit For Skiing
Qualified nutritional therapist, yoga instructor and keen skier Libby Limon shares her top tips on how to eat yourself fit for skiing
London-based nutritional therapist and yoga instructor Libby Limon spills the vitamin-packed beans on how to feed your body in order to optimise your ski performance
Welcome to the new Fitness Focus series, where we’ll be speaking with an expert in a different fitness field each issue. From yoga and nutrition gurus to physiotherapy and kinesiology professionals, we’ve tracked down the pick of the skiing fitness bunch to reveal how to ski better, safer and longer.
Libby Limon might be an Instagram wellness guru likened to Gwyneth Paltrow for her dedication to clean eating but, as a passionate skier who goes by the mantra of “You can be a wellness warrior and still eat cake,” she’s our kind of nutritional therapist.
If you’re wondering why you might need food therapy, Limon puts it in a nutshell: “I help people understand their own biochemistry, working together to create a nutritional programme that enables them to maximise the potential of their body. Whether you’re a professional athlete or a recreational skier, optimising your nutrition is the key to unlocking your full potential, achieving your peak performance and keeping you skiing for as long as possible.”
“Lots of recreational skiers tend to start thinking about getting fit for their ski holiday a few weeks beforehand,” explains Limon. “But it’s the snail who wins this particular race, not the hare. Keep your body ticking all year round, working specifically on nutrition and core strength, and you’ll reap significant benefits during your ski trips as well as in everyday life.”
Ideally, you would attend a consultation with Limon (either at her London clinic or via video call), in order for her to make a detailed analysis of your dietary and nutritional intake and create a detailed programme to address any imbalances and achieve an improved diet. In the meantime, here are some of her basic, easy-to-implement suggestions:
Introduce oily fish to your diet to boost your omega-3 fatty acid levels and keep your heart healthy. Smaller fish, like anchovies and sardines, are ideal as they contain lower levels of pollutants.
Boost your vitamin D intake, aiming to take 10 micrograms daily (and no more than 40 micrograms). Not only does vitamin D help regulate levels of calcium and phosphate in the body, keeping bones and muscles healthy, it also prevents minor cold and flu infections from developing into severe respiratory diseases. Indeed, there’s currently strong circumstantial evidence to show that higher levels of vitamin D support increased tolerance of and quicker recovery from Covid-19.
Introduce turmeric and ginger to your diet. These superstars of Chinese medicine are powerful antioxidants and deliver strong anti-inflammatory benefits, helping to relieve joint pain – something skiers will really appreciate! Turmeric is fat-soluble and best absorbed when combined with black pepper, so a great way to add it to your diet is by adding it to scrambled eggs or a smoothie.
Take magnesium to aid muscle relaxation and recovery. It can be easy to focus on active exercise and neglect muscle recovery but the latter is critical for enabling us to use those muscles the next day without over-stressing them and causing injury. Almonds are a particularly rich source of magnesium but it can be worth taking a supplement, particularly if you suffer from stiff muscles after a big day on the slopes.
An experienced yoga instructor as well as a nutritional therapist, Limon advises complementing your healthy eating programme with exercise that targets core strength and builds flexibility, both of which are critical for skiing. “Yoga and Pilates can help you to learn where your deep core muscles are and create what Pilates refers to as your ‘girdle of strength”, she explains. Specific exercises in both training methods will help you to learn to engage your pelvic floor muscles while drawing the lower abdominals back to achieve a strong centre, all the while helping to support and protect the spine.
“The plank is an ideal exercise for working on core strength,” explains Limon. “But balance poses are also really important for skiers and you can easily practise these at home. Do the washing up standing on one leg; stand on your tiptoes as much as you can; and try to really work your feet, spreading out your toes and playing with your balance. These are simple exercises that, when done frequently, can significantly improve your balance and, ultimately, make a real difference to your skiing.”
Finally, Limon offers some tips for while you’re actually on ski holiday. “We all know that eating breakfast is crucial for a good day’s skiing but the key is to eat a balanced meal, which means a mix of carbohydrates, protein and vegetables or fruit. If you only pack in the carbs, they’ll break down quickly and leave you feeling tired and hungry come mid-morning. Adding eggs, mushrooms and spinach to your toast, for example, or Greek yoghurt, almonds and berries to your cereal, will increase your glycaemic index load and keep you going until lunchtime.”
FACTFILE
Libby Limon is a BSc nutritional therapist, yoga teacher and passionate skier. She offers private nutritional therapy consultations via video call (consultations cost £75) and teaches yoga classes at soho house gym as well as private classes on request.