We wrote earlier about the wonderful snow skiing options that are available to those living in or near Lovington, so it seems only appropriate that we make sure you’re in tip-top-shape to hit the slopes once that first snow hits. Being conditioned makes for more smooth runs with less risk of injury and that’s pretty much a win/win, wouldn’t you say?Here’s some even better news — even if you’re not a skier the following conditioning tips are beneficial to any sport or just plain old daily living. What are you waiting for? Get cracking.Strength Training is critically important to maintain the core strength needed for a day of skiing. Muscular strength helps a skier to not only be in control of a situation but to relax as well both elements equally important to performance and conditioning recovery time. Since skiing primarily uses the leg muscles try to incorporate as many activities pre-season as possible things like bicycling, hiking, or other active sports where the focus is on your quadriceps.Flexibility is perhaps the most important physical conditioning component when it comes to preventing sports-related injuries, and this is especially true in skiing since you’re going to need your muscle-connective tissues to extend to their max without compressing joints. To best get this managed with regard to ski conditioning, focus your efforts on your upper legs, back, shoulders, hip, and torso to keep your tendons and ligaments flexible and strong so joint injuries can be avoided.Cardiovascular workouts should be done 3 to 5 times a week for 30 to 45 minutes per session in anticipation of ski season. To prep for the first snow you should be looking at activities like bicycle riding, skating, swimming, or running. A lot of very serious skiers use roller skis as an activity to keep them in peak condition off-season since the activity uses the same muscle groups and kinetic motions as their snow-friendly counterparts.And if your best-intended plans for pre-season conditioning fall flat, you might want to consider getting aligned with a personal trainer for a few weeks prior to your first slope escapade just to make sure you’ve done as much as possible to prevent that ever-present sideline threat that could keep you out all season.