Ski race is an uphill struggle

This year’s ski season may be coming to a close, but there’s one race you will need to start practising for now if you want to enter it next year – an uphill ski race from the bottom to the top of the longest black ski run in the Alps.

The Champ or Cramp competition is open to professionals and avid skiers alike and every year attracts up to 200 entrants and more than 1,000 visitors. It’s staged in the town of Spittal an der Drau, in the Carinthia region in the heart of the Alps. The route itself covers part of Goldeck, Carinthia’s sports mountain: a 8.5km distance with a 1,600m altitude climb. This year, the race was won by Nejc Kuhar, a skier from Slovenia who completed it in 50 minutes and 36 seconds.

Champ or Cramp is held in January every year, at the peak of the main winter season. It attracts coverage from major sports channels including the BBC, and includes live entertainment and awards ceremonies. Details: www.champorcramp.com

ski race

Plate colour can help weight loss

If you have white plates at home and serve up white food such as rice and potatoes, you could be giving yourself far more generous helpings than you’re aware of, according to a recent study.

Researchers from Cornell University in the US found that people serve themselves up to 20 per cent bigger portions when food ‘blends in’ with the colour of crockery it’s placed on, compared to when it’s served up on a plate of contrasting colour.

It’s believed that the difference in colour prompts people to examine what they’re putting on their plate more closely.

Hair today, workout tomorrow

A new hairstyle may be costing African-American females their health as well as their money. In a study published in the Archives of Dermatology, nearly 40 per cent of women said they avoid physical activity at times because of their hair.

The study, by the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina, US, was based on 103 African-American women who had high levels of obesity. Most of the women (62.1 per cent) had chemically straightened hair, which cannot be maintained if washed frequently. The majority of the participants (81.6 per cent) washed their hair every one to two weeks, so avoided exercise because of sweating.
Women who didn’t work out due to hair concerns were almost three times as likely not to exercise for more than 150 minutes a week.

Rock music preferred for exercise

It’s no secret that music can motivate people to push themselves more at the gym – but what tunes would most people choose?

In a Tesco Phone Shop survey of 2,000 fitness enthusiasts, rock music – from artists like the Prodigy and Lady Gaga – was the most popular choice, with 35 per cent of people choosing it.

Pop music came in second, with 29 per cent of respondents saying they opted to listen to it while exercising, while 25 per cent of people opted for dance and house tunes. The less popular choices were classical music and heavy metal tracks, which both got three per cent, as well as RnB soundtracks, which only five per cent of people go for.

Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen was singled out as the best song, followed by Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger and Simply the Best by Tina Turner.