Hey guys! I’ve got about 7 months until Disney! I’m at a healthy weight, but not in great shape due to my desk job. My past trips have been physically exhausting and painful, I want to prep a little better this time. (Do more than just buy new shoes!)
I’m planning on continuing to eat healthy (and being more consistent) and upping my weight-lifting to 3x per week instead of 1-2x. I’m also thinking about picking up jogging… doing walk/jog intervals. If I can stick to my plan, I think i’ll be much better prepared for the 20k+ steps/day!
What do you guys like to do to physically prepare for WDW?
You might want to consider adding some yoga to your fitness routine. I find it helps with joint and other aches and pains. Plus it will be a nice compliment to what you already do. You can also easily do a few poses at WDW to help with post walking aches.
We took nightly walks/runs as a family for about a month no matter how hot it was. It definitely helped, as neither my 6 or 9 year old asked to be held or whined about walking the entire time. My husband’s watch said we walked 35 miles during our 5 days at Disney!
I remember our 2017 trip when i was (politely) told I couldn’t ride Primeval Whirl because I was too big. I was pretty bummed to disappoint my son so when started planning our fall trip, I decided it wasnt going to happen again. A walking/jogging regimen and keto have knocked me down 58 lbs so far. I hoping to hit 75 by Oct when our trip is. Nothing like a good walk of shame to kick you in the butt
Awesome job! Keep up the great work! Yes, sometimes a good slap in the face is all you need to start a road towards a healthier life Especially when it has to do with Disney
As my grandniece says: same! Some WDW trips have been very painful. Last three trips have been much more enjoyable, thankfully.
TP countdown says 60 days out for a walking regimen. Two months might be better than seven as you’d have less time to get bored and quit.
Mostly what you’ll do is walking and getting in and out of ride vehicles. The yoga would be great for the ride vehicle ability.
For the walking, I’ve usually, past trips, walked - trails in state park, indoor walking tracks or just around the neighborhood.
While you might do 8 - 10 miles a day at WDW walking 10 miles a week is probably enough to help you feel better at WDW. After all, most marathon runners do not regularly run marathon distances when they work out
Recently I realized that a lot of what we do in WDW is wait. We stand around. See if your employer will upgrade your desk to one of those stand up desks. The one my sister has will go up for standing work or go down if she chooses to sit. I think her employer also provides a matt to stand on.
I’d recommend also to go to a store specializing in sporting shoes. They can check to see what kind of stride you have and make suggestions as to shoe types best for your foot/stride.
I used to walk 5 miles several times a week. Always having sore legs and feet. Until I read about feet and stride types. Amazing what a difference the proper shoe makes!
I starting walking a lot to get in shape before our recent trip to Disney. I just decided to make my minimum step count each day 7,500 and try to get to 10k when I could to prepare. In 3 days at the parks, we did about 45 miles (25k steps day 1, 25k day 2, 40k day 3) . I was SO glad I had been walking for a few months prior. I made it the whole time without hurting except for once when we were stuck standing in line for over an hour. I definitely think a cardio routine of walking and jogging will help make your trip more enjoyable. Also, I cannot stress the importance of good shoes and quality socks when you’re doing that kind of walking. Blisters will put a big damper on your fun.
All great advice! I certainly agree with the standing around part… I wish my employer would allow anyone to get a stand-up desk, but they only allow it for people with a doctor’s note for serious back injuries.
Hopefully the extra weight-lifting might help though… Squats, deadlifts, etc. might help my legs deal with standing longer.
Great plan! And holy cow 40k steps on Day 3?? I think my record for a day at Disney was just shy of 30k.
Also - I should probably buy a fresh pack of socks for the trip, good idea!
I finally realized after the time I thought they were going to have to actually pause the ride for the old lady (me) - that reversing the “in” procedure would get me out quicker.
I had a backpack too, so I guess that didn’t help. When I got in I managed to get both of my legs on one side of the bar. My kids were in front of me. The CM was like “oh, mom!” and stopped and fixed it for me. It was kinda cute.
Don’t go with new shoes - this is a sure-fire way to have foot problems. Always have several pairs of broken-in shoes that you know you can walk in comfortably for a good distance.
Especially when it has to do with Disney 
