Do You Recognize Asymmetry in Your Body?
Are You Right-Handed or Left-Handed?
TaiChi is continuous, slow motion of gentle stretching and breathing practiced by thousands around the world.
Credit: Tommy Kirchoff
[SeniorsSkiing.com welcomes back Tommy Kirchhoff, a long-time ski instructor and a certified Tai Chi master. He has been teaching senior exercises for 12 years. Tai Chi is an ancient martial art that has evolved to slow-moving poses that is practiced all over the world.]
Does one knee hurt more than the other? Are there visible differences in the size and shape of your calf muscles? How about more aches in one shoulder than the other?
When you stand, do you know which foot you typically stand on? When you sit, can you tell which of your butt cheeks takes more of your body weight?
From the time we are born our bodies develop and then degrade asymmetrically. Each of us takes a longer step with one foot than the other. We tend to favor one arm and one leg; and by the time we reach middle age we begin to have asymmetric problems.
Body Asymmetry can lead to chronic soreness. Tai Chi can help re-balance.
One hip or one knee destroys itself. This leads to surgery, and more asymmetry. Eventually the problems make the body sedentary, which leads to problems of the internal organs and the blood.
But asymmetry can be remedied. Not with strength, as doctors and physical therapists all seem to believe. Strength does not solve the problem of joint stiffness.
First, recognize the strengths and weaknesses of your body parts. Take inventory. Think about the differences. Let the left side teach the right side and vice-versa. Then start practicing Tai Chi. You can start anytime, but for older skiers, there’s no time like now to prepare yourself for next season.
The slow “perfect” and balanced movements of Tai Chi allow you mobilize and stretch your ankles and knees and hips in a safe and methodical way.
When you see a photo of someone practicing Tai Chi, you have to always remember that Tai Chi has no static postures. Continuous movement is a principle. So is relaxation.
When you relax and move in a specific way you can work through your stiffness and begin to correct the asymmetry in your body.
Our school has many thousands of students worldwide who enjoy the endless benefits Tai Chi has to offer.
If you want to give the movements a try, this is my Standing Energy Practice video on YouTube:
Coming to You Soon? Skiable, Outdoor, Summer Snow.
Finally, Outdoor Summer Snow.
It’s the invention of TechnoAlpin, an Italian manufacturer of snow making equipment. Its Snow Factory addresses warming trends challenging the future of skiing, allowing skiable snow to be made when air temps are warm. It will help areas extend their seasons or operate when nature won’t cooperate.
The first application in North America is at Boreal Mountain Resort at Donner Pass, not far from Lake Tahoe.
The container-shaped unit is delivered by tractor-trailer. It freezes water using a heat exchanger. No chemicals are added. TechnoAlpin’s site states: “The snow is not snow in its natural form but rather in small dry ice flakes which are completely frozen.” The ice crystals then get sprayed onto the slope where the frozen surface gets groomed or tenderized by the sun. It functions best in temperatures between 28 and 75 degrees.
None of this is inexpensive. The unit costs around $500,000 and uses a lot of power, much higher than the $38,000 cost of a typical snow making machine. But it’s not a water hog. Snow Factory uses less than 20 percent of a typical snow maker’s 100 gallons per minute.
The website describes the technology as “… ideal for making snow to cover relatively small sections in ski resorts or for all kinds of events, such as snowboard events or ski races in big towns, or the lower sections in ski resorts.” The company also identifies low-elevation Nordic centers as a suitable application for its Snow Factory.
This is a far cry from the beginnings of delivering ice in summer. That started around 500 BC in Persia (Iran) where winter harvested ice was stored in large, underground spaces, (perhaps similar to those used by Iran for its nuclear development program).
More than two millennia later, an enterprising New Englander named Frederick Tudor (1783-1864) was harvesting, storing and shipping ice from Walden Pond in Concord, MA, and the surrounding area to as far away as India. Queen Victoria said her favorite ice came from Wenham Lake, near Hamilton, MA, one of SeniorsSkiing.com’s headquarter sites.
Boreal will rely on its Snow Factory to provide surfaces needed for its Woodward Tahoe Action Sports Camps, eight weeks of co-ed residential summer camp for kids (7-19) and a week for adults.
As for the rest of us, look forward to warm weather runs without hiking to a glacier or getting on a plane.
This Week In SeniorsSkiing.com (June 3)
Survey Headlines, Still Skiing At Stowe, Cycling Series.
This is definitely the last run, right?
Credit: Robby Kelley
This week, we welcome a new advertiser to SeniorsSkiing.com. Vail Realty has joined our crew. Note their ad in the right column, and also note that they are providing a 20 percent discount for subscribers of SeniorsSkiing.com. Click the ad and get in touch.
You wanted discounts, we’re doing our best to make that happen.
Working the results takes time!
We’re also publishing top level findings from our recent Spring Subscribers Survey 2016. The response rate has been outstanding , and we are very happy to heard from so many engaged readers.
Believe it our not, there was a guy who took a run down a trail at Stowe, VT, on May 26 in 80 degree weather. We have the video proof. Check it out.
Finally, Pat McCloskey does what a lot of senior snow enthusiasts do in the non-snow months: He cycles. Here’s his snapshot of riding around a cool town in Western New York State.
Thanks for all your great ideas submitted in the survey. Please keep them coming.
Tell your friends about SeniorSkiing.com, and remember, there are more of us every day and we’re not going away.
[authors_page role=contributor]