skiing - great exercise & works for me and my PA

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, I returned from a downhill ski and snowshoe holiday. I

was never a world class skier, and I am even far less so now;

however, my trip with my son was the best medicine I have had for...

ever! Although my toes sometimes appear as sausages, the insertion

of my achillies is killing me more than not, I am down to typing

with 5 fingers and a thumb, I cannot sit in a chair without my " tush

cush " (and it had better be a good chair at that), my back doesn't

bend, and my sacrum is fully fused to my illia, I really must say

that skiing is good for me.

It seems my shoulders and knees are least effected of my joints, by

PA. This is good, I can still ski. The chair-lift is a natural ice

pack after taking a sweatful run down the mountan. The gloves are

big and soft; they don't allow me to bend my fingers too far when I

grip my cold poles. My feet found some form-fitting boots that were

not too painful - they actually felt quite nice after I was in the

snow for an hour. The boots barely bend, so that also cuts down on

painful movement.

My style is no longer a thing of beauty: my SI joints see to it that

my legs are further apart than in years past. I suppose i could say

I straddle ski now - rather than parallel. I don't jump the moguls

or hardly anything of any height, unless I see that I can manage a

soft down-facing landing. I skied only 4 expert runs - none were

double black diamonds, but if i could afford to go more often, I can

see that I could work my way back to steadier diet of that steeper

terrain. I have had to modify my form, but I tell you, there

weren't many people older than me out over Christmas and New Years.

Most of the older folks were taking it easy down the hills too -

just like me: except for the forever Sven ski-instructors (those

handsome Norse skiers who have never lost their accent nor their

style - of whom I have secretlyheld deep envy for these last 35

years).

I laughed like I haven't for years, and I could feel my core and

balance get stronger. My lungs are breathing a little easier, and I

am more flexible. I watched my 12 year-old become a better, and I

was there to get to see and feel it. Snow shoeing was equally good

for me as I stayed mainly on level ground. On New Year's Eve, I

went for a 3 hour, mostly downhill - through sub-alpine forest, trek

with my lovely wife and son. We eventually found our way to toasty

cabin where we brought in the New Year. A horse drawn jingle-belled

sleigh took us back to where we had begun by 2 A.M. It was a

storybook ending to a year that had it's share of pain and new

realities. A storybook beginning for a new year - offering hope and

new great memories.

I know that many of the readers here are really strapped for cash,

so I know that what I have described may seem hard/impossible to

find, but I believe that low impact winter sports are the very best

thing for me. I will be ice skating soon if I can find some bigger

skates that are tight on the upper ankles, but not on my toes or

heel. All I will need then is a frozen pond (not hard to find in

the Canadian Rockies). I believe that if you have cold weather

where you live, outside your door you may find the best exercise you

can get. I don't recommend skiing or skating for rookies with lots

of joint pain - snowshoeing is not bad if you can walk in big soft

boots - just dress in layers so you don't overheat and swell up. I

have not had any flare-ups yet. I'll keep my ski-tips crossed that I

won't have to pay too dear a price for this week's fun.

Best wishes everyone. Brent