Ski Happy
7 years ago by
This year for our winter holiday, Josh and I took off for a 5 day ski trip in Lake Tahoe with some family. Josh is a great skier–he was literally on his high school ski team (Connecticut Boarding Schools…)- I on the other hand was a little rusty. It had been 9 years since I was last on the slopes but I managed to hold my own and really fall in love with skiing again.
Since we’ve gotten back, I’ve become obsessed with buying myself all of the ski gear you could ever possibly need. Because if I have all of the gear, I’ll definitely go skiing more and become Olympic skier status in no time right?! I even caught myself looking at actual $1,500 skis to bring home from Squaw Village…
See, I have a tendency to get really excited about a sport or activity, buy all of the cool gear to motivate me to actually do said activity, and then rarely ever touch any of it. Which happens with running after watching the New York City Marathon, and with tennis after every French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. But I’m always hopeful that the next time I get excited about a sport I’ll actually start doing it. If I have everything…
So all of this to ask, do you do this too? And if you do, have you actually gotten into a sport or something and what motivated you to actually stick with it? I need some help here.
I buy myself ALL of the sports gear, cute clothes motivate me to move! I adore skiing and buying ski clothes is such an addiction, but annoying considering I only go once a year Haha! X
http://www.stylepetal.co.uk
Totally! I also love the cozy aprés ski gear you can get from brands like Patagonia. There’s something pretty amazing about being curled up next to a fire in ultra plush fleece. Love it!
Raising my hand over here. Yes, I can relate to the excitement/buying relationship. Although I don’t have any tips for sticking with said sport. Best of luck!
Still glad to know I’m not the only one! x
I am glad to see I am not the only one… Last year we went for skiing, while he was sliding down like a pro, I was crying because after 10yr of not skiing I chickened out.But like every 21st century lady, I wiped my tears and pushed myself to slide at least couple of times. AND I LOVED IT! Naturally i decided to spend mini fortune on a new gear…its been a year. i and i am still waiting to use it.
And like you, I have tennis racket somewhere… and running shoes in which I go grocery shopping.
Haha yes! It had been 9 years for me since my last ski trip and I totally fell in love with it again but it’s hard to really know if it will be another 9 years before my next trip or not…
Oui il m’arrive exactement pareil ! “Si j’ai le bon équipement je serai comme ceux qui sont bons” mais bien sur en général ça ne marche pas. Alors pour le ski maintenant j’ai trouvé la bonne excuse : j’habite au pied de la montagne, c’est normal que j’ai des vêtements techniques et mes propres skis. J’ai un abonnement de ski saisonnier indigène fait pour les habitants de ma ville car on a une station de ski au-dessus. Sauf que cette année j’ai le genou cassé ha ha.
Sinon j’ai toujours été tentée d’avoir les bonnes tenues pour faire du sport, les bons crayons pour dessiner, comme si ça me mettait mieux dans la peau et me permettrait de mieux réussir. C’est comme quand j’achète les livres : rien que de les acheter, j’ai l’impression d’avoir déjà lu la moitié de leur contenu. Du coup je ne finis pas la plupart.
Mais j’ai un contre exemple avec le yoga aérien que j’adore : je ne voulais pas m’acheter la tenue de la super yogette. J’ai pris mon caleçon du ski justement, et un tshirt de sport ET VOILA. Depuis j’ai oublié une fois le caleçon et j’ai dû en acheter un autre donc j’en ai 2 (ouaaiis je peux varier les tenues), et j’ai plusieurs tshirt de sport donc c’est tout bon. Dans mon cours il n’y a pas de compétition, et mieux vaut être souple que bien habillée.
Je me souviens aussi de quand je pratiquais la danse classique enfant et ado, j’adorais mettre toujours la même tenue. J’adorais mon justaucorps en lycra bleu turquoise et ai dû arrêter de le mettre uniquement parce que j’avais trop grandi.
Alors peut être que ça dépend. Peut être que plus on est à l’aise avec un sport ou meilleur, plus on s’en fout de la qualité de la tenue ou plus on aime mettre la même car c’est le plus simple ?
Hi Sev,
I see what you mean! When I do pilates I wear the same things all the time without even thinking about it. It’s only the more specialized sports (where I am lacking skill and am probably more intimidated) that I feel the need to have the gear. x
Most motivating for me is thinking about the health and fitness benefits I get from a certain activity. That said, what I stick to is working out at home because there no obstacles to that – you just do it. So for me the gear is not motivating and not even the excitement, but rather the understanding that this sport or activity can be good for me in the long run and that if I want to feel good about myself and like how I look, I should keep doing it. You have to change your cognitive schemes regarding sports and their role in your life. Because yes, excitement can push you towards trying something but it doesn’t keep you going – it wears off and you need to substitute it with inner motivation, to find meaning for yourself in that act.
Hey Eliza,
Totally hear you! I do pilates regularly, so I’m not being totally lazy. I do find it tricky to get into more seasonal activities though!
Haha yes, I totally do this as well–I’ll try something once, and then I want a whole outfit for it. (If you want to really go crazy on ski gear, look at Cordova ski suits–saw them on Instagram and died. Phenomenal.) Would love to learn to downhill ski–it looks so chic and I love to ice skate already, so then I’d have two winter sports under my belt haha.
I joined a gym and the financial element (e.g., I’m always paying for it whether I go or not) is what motivates me to keep it up. If I don’t go, I’m “wasting” money, so that gets me there three times a week. I also do Pilates, and I just really love it, which is what keeps me interested. For skiing, I have never been (cross-country in the woods only, never on the slopes!), but maybe something similar–e.g., a pricey season pass–will motivate you to make an effort to get out to the mountain more so you don’t feel you’re “wasting” anything. Just what works for me :)
Glad to hear I am not alone! I find going with a friend (or significant other) always helps to motivate me.