do you need to be fit?

[lorapinky]

Hello,

When we went to WDW 2 years ago me and my DH were quite fit, though now we aren't so much.

Should we try and increase this before we go as all we did last time was walk all day in the heat!

 

[carolfoy]

I think it depends on how commando you want to go, I'm incredibly unfit yet can walk round disney from 8am til midnight every day for a fortnight and not feel it at all.
I know a lot of people on the US boards go into training to cope with the excessive amount of walking, personally I'd sooner have a beach/water park day every fourth or fifth day to recuperate.
I reckon you can walk an average of 20,000 steps a day, get a pedometer and try it out for a day, see if you need training or not

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I think you need to be relatively fit to walk around the theme parks, especially in the summer heat.
To be honest we rarely spend more than 4 hours or so at any of the parks.
You do see some people rushing around the parks like they are on an army training drill.

Comfortable shoes are just as important I feel.

 

[Netty]

I reckon you can walk an average of 20,000 steps a day, get a pedometer and try it out for a day, see if you need training or not

20,000!! i should be a size 8 then!!!

as long as you take plenty of drinks and don't forget you will be on and off rides in the air conditioning, have little rests sitting down people watching i think you will be fine! oh yes and as Johnny says comfortable foot wear, i always take a spare pair of sandals/trainers and put them in the locker as usually towards the end of the night my feet are killing me!

 

[carolfoy]

20,000!! i should be a size 8 then!!!

as long as you take plenty of drinks and don't forget you will be on and off rides in the air conditioning, have little rests sitting down people watching i think you will be fine! oh yes and as Johnny says comfortable foot wear, i always take a spare pair of sandals/trainers and put them in the locker as usually towards the end of the night my feet are killing me!

I wore a pedometer on several days last year and it was always nearing 20,000 steps (mind you half of those were in POP century getting from the food court to the room )
I agree about the shoes though - the most comfortable ones you own definately!

 

[Netty]

I wore a pedometer on several days last year and it was always nearing 20,000 steps (mind you half of those were in POP century getting from the food court to the room )
!

Carol i would of made a size 8 if I hadn't eaten for the whole holiday!

 

[pixiepower04]

I am quite overweight and walked round WDW no problem, I didn't even get a blister and I put this down to not rushing around everywhere, take each day as a walk round town shopping on a Saturday, you can always come back another day to do what you didn't do before so why break your neck trying to get round it all in one day.

I wore a pedometer on our recent trip to Disney Paris and each day we walked 3 and half to 4 and a half miles, I have a DD8 and a DS6 and it didn't bother them either.

My advice, wear good comfy trainers that are well broken in and take your time and stop frequently for a sit down break.

 

[brightspark]

Carol i would of made a size 8 if I hadn't eaten for the whole holiday!

Thankfully the walking outweighs (!) the amount of food and so we don't all come home the size of a house!

Comfy shoes are SO important!

 

[Little Flower]

I wouldn't worry about your fitness levels at WDW.

I am a big girl and didn't have any problems walking as long as i went to my pace, not everyone elses. There are lots of rides that have airconditioning and, if you think about it, you get a rest on each one as they are sitting down

The only thing i didn't like (strangely) was wearing trainers. On the days when my feet were enclosed in trainers and were too hot it killed me. I only ended up wearing them twice in 2 weeks. If i have cool feet i can keep going all day. I'm trying Crocs this year

 

[wifey]

I'm breaking in my Beach Crocs now in readiness for our trip in June
Definitely wear comfortable clothes and shoes
Drink plenty of water or powerade/gatorade to replenish lost electrolytes, it's easy to get dehydrated in the heat and humidity
Go at your own pace and you'll be fine, there are airconditioned attractions throughout the parks and plenty of benches dotted about.
Don't worry about the food either you will walk off the calories every day, you can always ask restaurant staff for low fat options or lower GI foods if you want it.

 

[Booknut]

I'm also a big girl and I didn't have any trouble at WDW but the key is to go at your own pace. Both times i've been have been off-peak (September/October) and it wasn't ever really that busy, few queues for rides so we were pretty much able to just do our own thing without too many plans - excluding dining of course, we had to plan that during free dining or we wouldn't have eaten! LOL!

I tried trainers the first year and wasn't that keen. Last year I just wore my mules (they had good support) and they were perfect. Will be trying Crocs too next time we go.

We also took lots of breaks and tried to see lots of things other than just go from ride to ride and that made it more enjoyable for us too!

I'm sure you guys will have a great time. You won't even realise how in shape you are until you get there and are dying to go around to all your favourite places Disney has the ability to draw out hidden sources of energy in all of us

 

[DeborahS]

You lot are great

I am also a big girl (the Americans call us "fluffy" apprently which is cute) and was worried about walking around the parks when it will be our first trip to Disney this September. Great to know that fitness is not an issue and I shouldn't have a problem. Although my partner reckons I should loose some weight, I am not too keen lol big and beautiful is what I say.

Will check out those crocs.

Deborah

 

[jen_uk]

Deborah, you should definately try Crocs, they are soooooo comfy!

 

[wicket2005]

As long as you can walk about okay and have comfortable footwear you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[Chilly]

I'm not fit at all (which can be testified to by the fact that i'm still aching from Sunday when I went to GoApe) and had no problems last year.

 

[Laurafoster]

I'm not fit at all (which can be testified to by the fact that i'm still aching from Sunday when I went to GoApe) and had no problems last year.

LOL i did a similar thing last year and ached for ages!!

Im as unfit as you can get!! have no problem in walking around WDW - must be something to do with the fact that im walking to get to something which gives me more motivation!!

 

[Vizeman]

I think it depends on how commando you want to go, I'm incredibly unfit yet can walk round disney from 8am til midnight every day for a fortnight and not feel it at all.

Going Commando?

 

[DeborahS]

Going Commando?

Woah!!! That is one way to keep cool on a hot day at the parks... Not sure it would be a good idea with a mini-shirt though.

Deborah

 

[jen_uk]

Woah!!! That is one way to keep cool on a hot day at the parks... Not sure it would be a good idea with a mini-shirt though.

Deborah

 

[carolfoy]

I think it depends on how commando you want to go, I'm incredibly unfit yet can walk round disney from 8am til midnight every day for a fortnight and not feel it at all.

Going Commando?

sorry, Vizeman, I'm pretty much commando permanently!