How many miles do you think ...

[Disneysnel]

I would need to walk per day in order to "train" for WDW?


I don't want to waste anytime being pooped at the parks!

Thanks so much,
Kelley

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

Last year I wore my pedometer while at WDW. I walked anywhere from 9 to 13 miles each day and that did not include all the miles walked in the water parks.

 

[Twitterpated Dad]

In a perfect world, 10. Yes, 10. You will probably walk 7 to 12 miles per day.

But, most of us don't have 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day to exercise. If you go for an hour walk, not stroll, every day, you will be fine.

 

[twoeeyy]

don't forget that you are not walking 10 straight miles, there are many 'down' times like the rides, eating etc...

We average about 12+ miles a day while at Disney. Our jobs have us on our feet all day so we have never had a problem.

Good luck in your training

 

[v_gan]

About two months before, I started doing 2 miles a day at 4 mph on our treadmill at home, which took 30 minutes. Then I started staying on 45 minutes for 3 miles once it got a little closer to our trip, and would sometimes stay on for an hour (4 miles) if I had the time.

Now, that doesn't really compare with walking all day at the parks. But it definitely helped my feet get used to walking every day!

I remember seeing a weight loss site where Lord of the Rings fans would "walk around Middle Earth". Like, after they walked so many miles working out, they would "be" at a certain place in Middle Earth and stuff. I thought it would be fun to "walk to the Magic Kingdom" by our trip next May. That's about 550 miles, so I better get going!

 

[Lynn5700]

I'm pretty active and I excercise so I say if you start excerising regularly before you go you should be good!!! I'm never tired and my feet never hurt and I walk in flip flops!

The best part is you can eat whatever you want because you walk it all off lol.

 

[Cargo]

aw dang, . . i'm pooh sized, . .but last time i went to disney i didn't find problems. I didnt' have blisters or such and i was in a sandal. The thing is, . . . do you have the ability to feed off of your hype? If you are those people that can trample through an undiscovered jungle with Disney power, then u're goign to be fine. A lot of times, you only start to notice that you feet hurt when you are nearing the end of the day.

Oh and don't forget that other than walking, . there is STANDING in line. I knoww I knowww ur not moving, . . .but your feet are still working their muslces to keep u up!, . . . Just remember to not stand exactly still, . . move your legs a bit, . . . and this is a really good tip. When i worked as cashier, . . i would always find a step and put one foot on it. So basically, you have one foot on the floor and one foot one step up. Later i learned that people who have tired feet do this automaticall b/c it helps shift the weight and take off some of the pressure! So if you find a step and is in line, . . . STEP ON UP!!


anyway, i'm going in 3 days, . and i'm pooh sized, . . watch me go berserk on Disney power lololol

 

[Cargo]

btw, . . post care of feet is very important as well. When you go home, massage and moisturize your feet!!!~ Pamper those babies so they'll work harder for you the next park day!

 

[RMulieri]

I have been walking 5 mi a day everyday rain or shine.At a good pace it takes me 1hr.I figure I can exercise for at least 1 hr everday anyway.I have lost more weight walking that 5mi then I ever did on any of my exercise tapes.

 

[disnut8]

don't forget that you are not walking 10 straight miles, there are many 'down' times like the rides, eating etc...

Exactly what I was going to post. The distance around World Showcase Lagoon is 1.2 miles. But very few people walk the entire 1.2 miles without stopping (well, we do but we are weird).

I'd condition myself for about 1-2 miles of constant walking. But the thing that I would also concentrate on is drinking plenty of water (even when it's not summer). Start drinking eight glasses a day now to build up your hydration system.

 

[Disneysnel]

Wow, thanks so much for all the great advice!

10 miles a day ? I am very glad I asked because I thought maybe 2 or 3.

I have already started with my treadmill, I think I will add an hour outside walk to that, maybe tying to go farther each day. I bought some new sandals - Chacos and Keens and I will switch them off everyday in order to get them broken in.

Well, better get walking!!

 

[Dodie]

I would just add as a reference that I too wore a pedometer on our last trip to WDW (been talking about doing it for years but finally remembered to bring it). Our "light" days were approximately 9 miles. Our full-out days were between 11-13. I think what's important is what's already been mentioned - you are NOT doing that all at once. There's lots of down time interspersed.

 

[BethC1952]

btw, . . post care of feet is very important as well. When you go home, massage and moisturize your feet!!!~ Pamper those babies so they'll work harder for you the next park day!

This was the most important thing I did last week! No matter how late I got back to my room, I always made sure that I washed my feet well, massaged and moisturized them and then got a good night's sleep. My pedometer told me that there were several days when I walked 13+ miles. My feet didn't bother me until the last of the 11 days I was there. I had no blisters, no sore spots, no aches and pains. I wore a pair of old Crocs (the Caymans), which I then threw away, since it was their fifth trip to WDW and they were just about worn to nothing because I also wore them for my two-mile walk every day.

Beth

 

[Sleeping Becca]

About two months before, I started doing 2 miles a day at 4 mph on our treadmill at home, which took 30 minutes. Then I started staying on 45 minutes for 3 miles once it got a little closer to our trip, and would sometimes stay on for an hour (4 miles) if I had the time.

Now, that doesn't really compare with walking all day at the parks. But it definitely helped my feet get used to walking every day!

I remember seeing a weight loss site where Lord of the Rings fans would "walk around Middle Earth". Like, after they walked so many miles working out, they would "be" at a certain place in Middle Earth and stuff. I thought it would be fun to "walk to the Magic Kingdom" by our trip next May. That's about 550 miles, so I better get going!

For me 4mph is a slow jog not a walk, no way could I walk 4mph!

 

[ransom]

I've found that doing a general cardiovascular workout for 30 minutes, three times a week, plus doing a 1 hour walk once a week, keeps me in shape for WDW.

The first year we went, we didn't do any of the above prior to the trip. We made it, but boy did our feet hurt! And DW's sore shin muscles made it hard to keep going each day. But once we switched to a mild exercise regime that emphasized being on our feet (we both have desk jobs and long commutes), we had a lot less problems on the next trip.

I'm not saying anyone should do exactly what we do; but I wanted to include it as another data point of what works for at least one family.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

I work out regularly, 3 times a week, so I don't have problems.

My family on the other hand, not so much.

We prepare with daily mile long walks, about 6 months out. As we get closer we move it up to 2 miles, then the final week 3 miles. We find that this works well for us, because even though we may walk 12 miles a day it is not all at once.

 

[girli565]

I'm a "thick" girl but I do exercise regularly so I can eat what I want without worry. I find that if I bump up my regimen from the normal hour long strength/cardio 2-3 times a week to 3-4 times a week I'm good. And I am by no means a skinny anything!