Walking : Do It BEFORE You Get to Florida

[CanadianGuy]

As a guy who has been to the parks more times than I can count -> but not in a few years...

As soon as I booked this trip, I started going for a 30 minute walk every day and have now up'ped that to 60 minutes a day.. brisk tempo non-stop walking. Before I actually arrive in Florida, I'll be at 90 minutes of non stop brisk walking.

I learned the hard way over the years that if you try to do the parks 'cold' without any preparation.. and you're like most of us, maybe a little out of practice when it comes to exercise, you will hit a nasty wall on day 2 or 3. And that really is no fun.

After the past winter, I was kinda sedentary so I figured if I'm going to do the parks, time to get 'ready'. I did this the last three times I hit the parks and it worked like a charm!

J

 

[daisyduck123]

We are doing the same thing.

I've taken DD11 & DS8 to WDW several times with my mother.
This time though, DH is coming instead.

Last month, we started walking each evening for 30-45 minutes so DH will be ready for all of the walking.
Well, the last week, we haven't gotten to do it for various reasons (weather, whatever) & we're getting a little anxious about it.

We check in on Friday for 8 nights at CBR! We can't wait!!

 

[Nancyg56]

I did not, and was glad that we took it kind of slow. We looked like the group that DIS'ers see and think "They shoud have subscribed to TGM." We were just taking it all in and enjoying our 4 yo DGD reaction to everything. We also had my 51 yo DH who was reacting the same way.

But anyway, my DD and her DH atarted walking with the little one, and if we had been on a marathon trip, their efforts would have paid off. This year, they are hauling me on their excursions.

 

[eeyoreiscool]

Great idea and make sure a couple of them are when it is warmer outside since heat can change everything pretty quickly.

 

[Duggas]

Excellent advice!!! We always say we need to be 'Florida Fit' to go to WDW and start walking/exercise preparation a few months before we go. Also, in the last few weeks before we go, we try to do our walking in the shoes that we will be taking with us. That way we know that they are well broken in and will not give us any foot problems. Last time we went I wore a pedometer for a week and some days we were walking nearly 40000 steps! Yes we had 'Florida Feet' but we didn't have any rubbing or blisters to spoil our trip.

 

[averill94]

We're on board too! Just really started last week- not going until October.
Right now walking 30-45 minutes- figured we would keep increasing (every month or week?) until trip.
For someone that does a fair amount of walking I was wrecked after the first day of our last trip. My leg muscles were exhausted and sore took some tylenol and got going but htis time I want us all to be in good walking shape before we go. Good tip about walking in heat, never thought about that.

 

[Perdygirl]

Breaking in any new shoes you plan to bring, and building up some stamina are great ideas. I also suggest getting your kids used to eating a substantial breakfast if they don't do so already. My youngest does not like to eat much in the morning, and he really ran out of steam early at the parks. The few days that I was able to get him to eat a bit more, he did much better, and enjoyed himself more.

 

[RussH]

I started walking during lunch time at work instead of the drive through and my trip last December was the best I can remember. I never caught myself breathing hard or ever slowing down for the entire trip. Dropping a few pounds might have helped also. Next WDW trip is in 2 weeks and I still walk 3 miles noontime daily and my new shoes have 50+ well broken in miles on them but still look new since they have only been worn on the track.

 

[Marseeya]

I'm really mad at myself about this! I started at the gym back in February to get ready for this trip and I had myself worked up to 30 minutes walking on the treadmill (a miracle for me). Then I got some kind of nasty bronchitis in April and was sick for TWO WEEKS. After the two weeks were up, I still didn't go back to the gym because I was playing catch up with all my school work.



I'm going back to the gym today and I'll be right back at square one. Our trip is less than a month away.

 

[Abra Cat]

Heh-- I live in the mountains, and my neighborhood is pretty hilly. I usually walk my kids to or from school-- three miles roundtrip while pushing a stroller. Then I get to flat WDW and it's a breeze!

 

[AprilLizbeth]

I highly agree that it is really important to prepare yourself physically for a trip. My fist year in college my best friend and I went to disney almost once a week (only 1 1/2 hour drive for us) and we were in great shape from all the walking! About a year ago we went to Disney for the day and I wanted to see once and for all how much walking we actually did in one day. I donned a pedometer and off we went for a normal 11 hours in the parks day for us. We hit AK, MGM and Epcot all from 10am to 9pm. I kept telling myself not to look at the pedometer so I wouldnt think that we needed to walk more, since secretly I wanted the number to be really high. Well when we found a spot to watch the fireworks, I decided it was time. I took off the pedometer and low and behold, we had walked 13 miles!!!! It just goes to show that you really do need to prepare yourself if you don't want to be tired or achey on your trip.

 

[MyZoeJane]

I, too, have started working out for our next trip. I'm about 25 pounds overweight and my goal is to lose it by September 30th! Going back to school and sitting on my **** int he classroom hasn't done much for my bod!

I am starting out by taking DD on a walk in her stroller around our (rather large) block each night. I walk around it one way where there is a slight incline, then a steep downcline... then I turn it around and go up the steep incline and then down the slight decline! Man, I'm huffin' and puffin' by the time I turn around and get to the top of that steep incline!

But maybe I'll slip into that Jasmine costume by September?

 

[kjs1976]

Along with walking, I would do some leg exercises on weight machines, also. I'm proof of the strength you gain when adding a leg lifting routine to your workout schedule. For the past 3 years I have done a regular leg routine and noticed my legs weren't as sore at the end of the day on our WDW trips. I had gotten out of a regular routine this winter, probably due to boredom. When we went to Vegas at the beginning of April, my legs were toast a lot sooner that they ever have been on any trip. After that trip I had my bro put me on a new leg routine. After almost 4 weeks on it now I went for a run yesterday (I train for a 5K in the summer, start running outside once a week at the end of March) and my legs were unstoppable! I couldn't beleive how much faster I went and didn't have the fatigue! My bro said I would start noticing improvements about week 3 if I did it consistantly and sure enough, I did! So I'm now motivated not only for my 5K but also for our June WDW trip to be able to keep on going w/o the soreness!

And if you don't belong to a gym, there are easy leg exercises to do without weights that help strengthen the same muscles. A stability ball is a good $10 investment to help with leg and ab exercises as well!

 

[maslex]

What a GREAT idea!!! My trip isn't for another 1 1/2 years so I have plenty of time to get my butt in gear. I just need to push to get out there and ACTUALLY do it.

 

[DisneyWorldWisher]

I agree, we've been walking for a couple of weeks at the local wildlife protection park. (We're trying to get the whole family walking, but so far my cousin and my grandfather haven't even come on one walk.)

I hope they realise how much their legs will be aching at Disney.

 

[miller2470]

I have been talked into it...I am going to go and get on the treadmill now.

 

[teentoddlermom]

This is excellent advice. I started walking in 2003 before our August trip because I knew I was so out of shape and did not want to feel like I was wasting our money by being too tired to do everything at Disney!l After I got home, I kept it up, and pumped it up. I had to starve myself and walk 3.5 miles a day, but I lost 45 pounds and have kept 36 pounds off. I have to keep walking, though, or I know it will all come back on!

Walking is a cheap way to lose weight too, only need halfway decent shoes!

 

[CanadianGuy]

Wow.. I'm amazed at all these responses.

On yesterday's walk of about 70 minutes, I really picked up the pace significantly (Imagine a fastpass machine moving along just in front of me just out of reach. . ha ha ha)

It's definitely the right idea. And heck, even if I wasn't going to the parks, a little exercise is always a great idea.

My travelling companions are in on the walking plan, so we should all be fit as fiddles by the time we hit the parks!

I just remember my first trip ever in 95' and my then SO and I just hit the wall on day 3 and ended up wasting an entire day doing very little cause we were so sore. That can be fine too.. but I'm a go-go kinda person and so I wanted to go.. but my body didn't.

18 days.. till I leave for Disney..

J

 

[MyZoeJane]

WTG, CanadianGuy! I wish MY next Disney trip was in 18 days!

Hope you have a GREAT time!!!

 

[CanadianGuy]

Yeah.. I'm not someone to book the trip MONTHS in advance. That's just not my style. I'm more likely to book 6 weeks in advance at most.

Otherwise, I can't take the suspense.