Getting Fit In The Mountains

For many of you, the mountains may not spring to the top of your mind when thinking about a summer holiday. However if you want an active summer break away where you can maintain and certainly improve your fitness, then retreating to the mountains offers amazing opportunities for this, coupled with stunning scenery. Why not try a luxury summer chalet holiday and tie in a fitness programme to ensure that you come back from holidays fit and firing, ready for anything life can throw your way?

I am lucky enough to live in the exclusive Swiss ski resort, Verbier, which offers the very best of both worlds, high adrenaline skiing in the winter and an expansive playground for fitness fanatics in the summertime. From hiking, trail running, yoga and climbing to mountain biking, road cycling, lake swims (if you can brave the initial temperature shock!), Par Cours Vita routes and dedicated personal training sessions, there is something to keep you active each day. And with exercising at altitude comes additional benefits too!…

Benefits of High Altitude Training

At high altitudes there are fewer oxygen molecules per volume of air, so every breath taken at altitude delivers less of what working muscles require. It causes the body to acclimatise to the lower level of oxygen available in the atmosphere and produce more red blood cells. This then improves the delivery of oxygen to the muscles, giving you the edge when you return to sea level.

Motivating, Challenging and Inspiring Terrain

The mountains have it all! Being surrounded by the expansive mountain tops and abundance of fresh air is enough to get you motivated for a great workout. More so than heading down to your gym for an indoor session, surrounded by the same equipment.

Hikes and trail runs can be as challenging as you want them to be, from vertical leg burners to more undulating routes. Outside yoga let’s you truly disconnect from modern stressors and connect with the energising nature around you. One of my personal favourites… road cycling, offers incredible opportunities for fitness training. Including steep gruelling climbs, continuous, steady heart rate rides and beautiful scenic tours combining a mixture of both.

Guided Fitness Training

If you’re in need of a little extra push and motivation then why not join on a fitness retreat with Mountain Beach Fitness Retreats. Verbier is one of our destinations where you can experience a range of the above training along with HIIT, core strengthening and specific bodyweight workouts focused around functional and primal fitness. Shaking up the way you’ve previously trained and injecting some energy through structured training programs. Leaving you feeling revitalised, rejuvenated and ready for action!

A guest blog by Lottie Pridham, Co-Founder and personal trainer, Mountain Beach Fitness Retreats.

If this blog has inspired you to get fit in the mountains before the summer is over, give Lottie a call on +41 7742 75845 or email her to discuss your requirements and prepare your summer mountain fitness plans!

Many of the chalets that we feature in the Ultimate Luxury Chalets portfolio are available to rent as summer chalets. Please take a look at our Verbier chalet collection and either email us or call on +44 (0)1202 203653 to discuss your summer chalet holiday plans.