Gaaah!! Need to get fit in 5 weeks. How?

[clam]

OK, so going on Feb 11th. That's 5 and a half weeks away.
Not only can I not do up my salopettes (so dieting is a given), I'm also slightly struggling to get up the stairs in a rush.
Normal plan is to do exercise DVD a couple of times a week plus a couple of hour-long power walks. Have a dog now, so walking more, and we've had a Wii for a couple of years but have never actually tried the Fit stuff on there.
Have a stepper, but need encouragement to use it. Used to do that sitting against the wall stuff to strengthen thigh muscles but might be too old now.

So, how do you all do it? Inspiration please!

I am going a week before you. This is what I am doing

Pilates lesson once a week (I do the hard core reformer version but am still a beginner after 6 months!) - good for flexibility and stamina.

Cardio twice a week, 3 times if possible, with at least 1 min of sprinting involved. I am running but might do a bit of cycling to/fro work too if I can summon up the energy! Have been 3 times since Boxing day so on target at the moment.

Zest mag also has a snow sports fitness section with squats, lunges and other circuit type training. If you PM I can photocopy and send to you if you like. Aim is to do that twice a week as well. They recommend 3 sets of the exercises but I think one rep to start is bloody good going - and my body agrees after doing one set. They are painful!

lock away the car keys and walk everywhere (if possible). just try to fit some more movement everywhere in your daily life, do some streches. go for a fast walk (fast enough to make you sweat) every day.

going up and down the stairs is also good, just do it 5 times a few times a day.

I MINUTE OF SPRINTING???!!!

Now don't get too excited - it's not really sprinting but running fast enough to make me moan quite loudly - I still get overtaken by old men and fatter girls at this pace but the aim is to bust my lungs for a bit at the end. It fucking hurt though is a little bit hard.

freebutton are you terribly good at skiing?
I'm a kind of goodish intermediate - but as you can probably tell, my shite fitness levels preclude me from reaching the dizzy heights of whooshing stylishly down a black run without stopping to rest admire the views!

Will work out how to pm...

Like the stairs idea, mousy

No, no, no. Only my 4th Time going and i fall over all the bloody time. I like easy reds and never willingly go on blacks and my technique is shite. But i remember the PAIN of being unfit on Day Three from last time and my legs screaming murder which is spurring me on to be less unfit this year.

I did this last year - did twice a week with a trainer at the local gym - so a block of ten sessions.

Did a really good mixture of cardio and weights including using a power plate.

Unfortunately this year I'm back at the same stage. I started the couch to 5k today and will also do the 30 day shred and some power plate stuff (and stop eating junk, even my 'fat' salopettes will be tight otherwise)

Someone (was it someone wise like A former personal trainer or ski instructor - I can't remember) told me that cycling was the best exercise for preparing for skiing. I cycle regularly these days between 10 and 20 miles a day for work and certainly found my thighs coping better with skiing than ever before. A low fat diet like Rosemary Conley for 4 weeks before I go helps if the trousers won't do up.

running up and down the stairs for 20 minutes is good. If you get anxious you can do it twice a day. I use a heartbeat monitor to guage the correct level of effort but you can perhaps do it by "out of breath but not so much I have to lie down"

When I was a keen fit skier I used to work on the 14th floor of an office block, used to walk up in the morning, and down and up a couple of times at lunch.

20 MINUTES?????? Are you serious?

I suppose you could have a minute's rest in every five, and take 25 minutes?

When you walk up a short snowy hill in your boots, carrying your skis, at altitude, it will be considerably harder.

Am in La Rosiere this week and I must admit I go to the gym at least 4 times a week so I am fit, I have felt my legs a bit so I would not want to go skiing and not be fit. If you are not fit you will struggle so it's best to some exercise now and keep it going.

Well, it's ski-to-the-door, so there's not much carrying of skis to do.
Have got by for the last 6 years, and I've lost the desire to qualify for the Olypics nowadays, so I guess I'll just have to pootle around as usual.

Have fun.