How to Keep Skiing Fit

When you're on vacation or traveling, it can be hard to find time to exercise and to keep your legs ski-fit.
I always bring a 1/2 inch and a 3/4 inch resistance band in my bag whether I'm traveling for skiing or on vacation. Both bands and a door attachment loop can fold up and fit in a pair of sneakers. I'm a big fan of resistance band strength training and muscle toning both at home and on the road.
Master Trainer and resistance band guru Dave Schmidt has shared his ski specific tips on About.com Skiing and has a many of ski muscle related videos and tips at Resistance Band Training.com.
There are many other ways to keep fit, including hotel fitness classes and centers, walking, running, and other outdoor activities. Here's more on keeping ski fit while you're on the road.

Workout rules to stay fit

At the very onset, let me tell you that exercise is one of the most important parts of a healthy lifestyle. I’m a great believer in the benefits of a ‘sensible’ exercise routine. But a person may look physically fit and muscular and at the same time suffering from frequent headaches, allergies,

sugar cravings, hair loss, acne and many other such conditions. One may look physically fit, but harbours strong negative emotions like anger, violence towards his family, and may even suffer from jealousy, lack of self-worth and deep grief. Such strong emotions bring about bio-chemical changes in the body, invite stressful situations and eventually lead to disease conditions.

Therefore, we need to strike a balance that reflects in our physical, mental and spiritual well being.  Here are some frequently asked questions by my readers.

Q I’m a vegetarian and I enjoy working out.  But I’m not sure if I’m getting all the proteins that my body needs.
A. An averagely healthy adult body needs approximately 40 to 50 gms of protein everyday to keep hair, skin and muscles in good form. Those who weight train, need an additional 15 gms daily. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) however is slightly higher, that is, 0.8 gms per kilogram body weight.That means if your weight is 70 kgs, your RDA for protein is 56gms daily. The RDA is higher as it takes into account extra protein needs for injury, illness low immunity etc. 

An average healthy individual should be well looked after by consuming between 40 to 50 gms protein daily. Vegetarians have to try a little harder to get enough protein. For example, a glass of milk along with a paneer sandwich should give you 30 gms of protein just at breakfast. Munching soya nuts through the day (50 gms) give another 20 gms protein. This is not taking into account your meals like a bowl of dal (5 gm protein), curd (6 gm protein), chapattis (10 gm protein), sprouts (6 gm protein). Eating a wide variety of high-protein vegetarian food makes it unnecessary to consume animal protein at all.

Cool weather, calm winds could help fight Texas wildfires

North Texas fire officials were hopeful Thursday that forthcoming cool weather and calm winds would assist firefighters in suppressing the largest of several wildfires currently burning in the state -- a blaze that has destroyed 39 homes in three days.

The fire has charred more than 6,200 acres of bone-dry vegetation in Palo Pinto County, forcing hundreds of evacuations and threatening as many as 400 homes since it began Tuesday.

The fire has been fueled by strong winds and the relentlessly high temperatures that have plagued the drought-stricken state.

Firefighters were able to make some progress overnight as the fire burned into flatter ground and became easier to contain, said John Nichols, a spokesman for the multi-agency effort fighting the blaze, known as the 101 Ranch fire.

The fire is burning near Possum Kingdom Lake, about 75 miles west of Fort Worth, where a fire in spring destroyed more than 160 homes, Nichols said.

Across the state, firefighters were battling 14 wildfires that have burned nearly 20,900 acres, said April Saginor, a spokeswoman for the Texas Forest Service, in an interview with The Times.

The current fires are the latest round for beleaguered fire crews. All year, they've been facing conditions wrought by the state's worst drought in nearly a century, plus unusually high temperatures and strong winds, Saginor said.

Since January, more than 18,000 wildfires have broken out across Texas, charring about 3.4 million acres and destroying 660 homes.

Conditions have been so ripe for fires that even when rain does fall, it has little effect, Saginor said.

“We’re not getting any moisture here,” she said. “We’re getting nothing from these little tropical storms that are hitting us.”

In nearby Oklahoma, firefighters on Thursday continued fighting a wildfire in northeast Oklahoma City that had destroyed more than 30 homes and burned about 18 square miles.

The fire forced hundreds of evacuations in a rural area of the city, said Deputy Chief Marc Woodard of the Oklahoma City Fire Department.

High winds have whipped up flames, causing spot fires across the parched land, Woodard said.