Top 4 fitness tips to get you ready for winter


it’s time to get fit for winter. Try these no-nonsense, grounded-in-science, Top 4 fitness tips from Ascension Fitness’s Ian Holmes, a former high-flying Cirque du Soleil acrobat, now an accomplished climber and extreme snowboarder


1. Customize

no one fitness plan fits all. Start with a personal fitness review. The goal is to build a program that encourages the best personal performance, stamina, flexibility, strength and an optimum buffer against injury, A ski-specific program includes boosting strength in your lower back, core and glutes with a focus on gaining power through full-range muscle motion.

2. Natural strength

No matter how you work out in the gym, parts of your body don’t get used in the same way as when you are out on the slopes. So get off the machines and go natural. Learn how to incorporate kettle bells into your routine and use full range of motion.

3. Face your fear

We all need to find ways to break through and grow, and facing our fears is a good way to do that. That means shaking up  your your normal fitness training session at the strip-mall gym. Get fierce and try something new, like a cross-fit class. It is as simple as making that first step into the woods for your first-ever trail run. You can do it!

4. Rise and exercise


Morning is the ideal time for fitness. If you’re like most people, if you don’t work out in the morning, it becomes too easy to postpone exercise. There are so many reasons to start your day with a workout, but here are a few more to ponder: It gets your metabolism revved up early, burns more calories throughout the day, and makes you way more effective at work. Then add an espresso and protein shake for an afternoon recharge.