It's inevitable: every inaugural riding session of the year, I head straight to the slopes, bypassing stretching or any other form of physical preparation. And at the end of the day, I'm always really sore. Same with the next day. And the next.

Of course, smart skiers and riders prepare themselves for the upcoming ski and snowboard season, making them ready to go when the snow starts falling, and lowering their risk of injury. With winter quickly approaching, there are many articles popping up on what to do. Generally, they all give the same advice:

• Do some cardio. Get your heart rate going. Cardio, core strength and muscle strength are all key, according to this Denver Post fitness cheat sheet (complete with how-to photos!).
• Build up your muscles; paritcularly your legs. Skiers need good obliques, and riders need good abdominals, according to this TV report.
• Do lots of wiggle-waggles. Don't know what I'm talking about? Neither do I. Fortunately, the OC Register does, and features lots of other workouts for skiers and snowboarders.

So how much lead time to you need? According to most experts, 30 days should do it. Start light, and build your workouts into longer, more intense sessions as time progresses. (Check out Rocky Mountain News article for some more details.)

Personally, I've started on some upper body weights, elliptical workouts and a bit of running, though I'm trying to take it easy on this stupid knee.