Answering my reader email can be a slippery slope. Especially when it's from a 29-year-old English teacher from Florida asking me for some pre-ski training advice:

"Dear Marilynn: I'm looking forward to some downhill skiing this winter. I've been running all summer and fall — averaging about 25 miles a week — and I feel pretty good. What else should I be doing to get ready for the slopes?"

Great question. Unless you're running in zigzags, with frequent hops over fire hydrants, running doesn't help much in getting your body ready for downhill skiing. Neither does bicycling. Swimming? Nope.

To get into shape for skiing, you need to strengthen your leg muscles in the position you'll use them on the slopes: hips and knees flexed, in the tuck position.

Running, cycling and swimming are terrific aerobic activities for overall conditioning — repetitive and rhythmical — but if you want more control of your skis, greater leg power and endurance and less risk of injury, you'll need to include some sport-specific exercises in your training routine.

It's called functional exercise, and here are three excellent ones for downhill skiing — no fancy equipment required. All you need is the will to do them, daily, with joyful anticipation:

THE 90-90 WALL LEAN. This gold-standard exercise is a very effective way to strengthen your quadriceps (top thigh muscles). Stand facing away from the wall, and slide your back down the wall until your feet are about 15 inches from the base. You want your hips and knees bent to a 90-degree angle. Now hold still ... and breathe! Focus your awareness on your quads and your calf muscles. Feel them working and, after while, fatiguing.

Don't overreact to that sensation. Just take it as feedback, and hold the position as long as you can. When you're ready to release, take another two to three deep breaths and try to hold for another five to 10 seconds. Go to the point of muscle exhaustion ... and release. Once is enough! Keep track of the time, and hold the position a few seconds longer every day. (To increase the challenge, try this raised on your tiptoes.)

THE STEP UP. Put one foot on a stable 15- to 20-inch-high stool, block or step. (Whatever you use, make sure it's anchored securely and won't slide around.) Then step up. Be precise about the movement. Make sure you fully extend your knee each time you step up. Let yourself down slowly, with control. The work you do as you let yourself down — resisting as you go — is just as important as the work you do pushing yourself up. Alternate legs until you feel exhausted. Do it daily, and increase the total number as your strength allows.

THE SIDE JUMP. Learning to change direction swiftly isn't just for politicians. It can be a lifesaver and a knee-saver for skiers, too. Is that a tree just ahead? Is that the delirious cry of a snowboarder just behind?

Begin by building an 8- to 12-inch tower of books, just tall enough so you can jump over it sideways, feet together. (You can also use a small box.) Land lightly, with bent knees, and jump back to your starting place.

Consider that one jump. Repeat 10 times, coordinating with your breath. Gradually build up to 20 or 25. This kind of training will make you a more agile and flexible skier — and do wonders for your confidence.

PREPARE MENTALLY, TOO. Functional exercise is only a part of your training. Bring your mind into play as well. You can learn all about relaxed concentration and visualization in a classic book I highly recommend called "Inner Skiing" by W. Timothy Gallwey and Robert Kriegel. I keep my well-worn, underlined copy from 1974 in my ski-boot bag and review it every winter to awaken my inner skier and keep her positive, fearless, and fluid.

"Every game is composed of two parts, an outer game and an inner game," Gallwey is famous for saying. When you practice both, you excel.

And my final tip? Begin your ski trip with a group lesson or two. It will remind you of your skills and limitations and help you to focus on your next beautiful turn.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! P.S. — ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET

"Skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking trees down with your face." — Dave Barry

Marilynn Preston — healthy lifestyle expert, well being coach and Emmy-winning producer — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, marilynnpreston.com, and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. She also produces EnExTV, a digital reincarnation of her award-winning TV series about sports, fitness and adventure, for kids of all ages, at youtube.com/EnExTV and facebook.com/EnExTV. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.