Today is the day!
Tip #1 - Take extra steps. They all add up!
According to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, one of the world’s leading medical centers, the average American only walks 3,000-4000 steps PER DAY. This is only 1.5 to 2.0 miles! Depending on the day’s activities and the time of the year, this may be even lower. It doesn’t seem to be much better in the UK (5,444 steps), Germany (5,205 steps) or France (5,141 steps). This simply isn’t enough to prepare you to have an active holiday. Most smart phones and watches have step counters built in. Challenge yourself to increase your weekly average each week until you have a minimum daily average of over 10,000 steps.
Can you walk to the store instead of driving this time?
If you drive to your destination, park a little bit further away from the entrance
Use the stairs instead of an escalator or elevator.
Walk to your colleague’s desk or office if you’re working in person
If you’re working from home, can you take a call or meeting on headphones and walk during this time?
If you arrive at a location early (appointment, picking up the kids from school or practice) consider walking those extra five minutes instead of sitting
Little pockets of time and opportunity are all around which will contribute to something larger but still be completely manageable. Have you heard of micro habits? Micro habits are tiny, everyday changes that guide you towards the larger result or change you want. Getting extra steps in is a micro habit which will greatly contribute to your success on your trip!
Tip #2 - Practice with your gear
Eventually you will want to complete several “trial-run” hikes using as much of your gear as possible, but no need to wait until then. Integrate your gear throughout your daily life as much as possible.
Can you wear your boots and headlamp to take the dog for a walk?
Try your new headband out going to work.
It may feel goofy on your local trail, but try out your backpack with the amount of weight you will be carrying (if you don’t know or don’t have your gear yet, put ~10kg in-books, water bottles, whatever you have laying around the house).
These tips may seem simple, and they are, but keeping it simple is key. When you’re hiking you may not have another option if you don’t like what you have or it isn’t working well. Best case scenario you are able to make do without the item or there is a way for you to get an alternative item. Worst case scenario, a gear hiccup leads to an injury. Trying in the comfort of your own home area and trails with opportunity to change and tinker will lead to the greatest level of confidence with your gear. Imagine driving a new car for the first time in a foreign country. If you’re new to hiking or active holidays, this is you! There are basics you’re able to transfer over, but before you pull away, you’ll want to spend some time figuring out where the lights are, how big your blind spots are and how to work the defroster.
Tip #3 - Figure out your accountability
In order to successfully train for a long distance hike or walk, or even work up in mileage on a daily hike you need a plan. But the plan is only as good as the person who is executing it. Decide how you will hold yourself accountable on the days when you’re sore, tired, can’t find the time or are simply not motivated (it happens to all of us!)
Do you have a check-sheet you use every day?
How about a friend or family member who is going to complete this challenge with you?
Does a daily notification or calendar invite ensure you’re on track?
Don’t be afraid to explore and shift what works for you, but choose something to get the ball rolling. Let people know about your goal and the changes you’ll be making so they can encourage you and even join in.
Tip #4 - Learn how to read a map and use compass
You may be thinking, it’s 2023, come on, I’ll just use my phone and honestly, chances are you can do this without issue. However, if your phone dies, the battery gets zapped in the cold (yes, this is a thing), you end up off a charted area or you drop your phone in a crevasse, there is no substitute for having a physical map and knowing how to read it. In fact, this could save your life. I always, always carry a paper map in addition to using digital apps on my phone. Apps can be excellent. AllTrails is a great place to start. It’s free (there is a paid version too but the free version is more than adequate to get you started). GAIA GPS is more expansive- layers, terrain, backtrails- for the more remote, experienced or detailed hiker. Even with crowdsourcing or user input options, apps do not change in real time to reflect trail changes due to natural causes like flooding, trees falling, rockslides etc. If you cannot read a map, even if it’s a digital one, you may be stuck.
Even with crowdsourcing or user input options, apps do not change in real time to reflect trail changes due to natural causes like flooding, trees falling, rockslides etc.
Before I tell this story, I’ve used and loved the GAIA app for years and will continue to. This story is to illustrate the value of being able to read a map. Regardless of the app being used, the outcome would have been the same. So, I was on day 7 of a 10 day hike through the Alps. This was supposed to be an easier day after completing the hardest day on the trail the day before. The first four miles were going to be the majority of the moderate elevation change for the day and the final five miles were flat- easy! I completed the first four fairly easily. My body felt great and I was really enjoying the scenery (perhaps I knew the rest of the hike would be relatively easy, who knows). I started on the final five miles, part of which was along a gorge, a flat but narrow trail. Rounding a corner the trail completely dropped off. Clearly a rockslide had wiped out the trail. I looked around, up and down. There was no margin for error as a 100+ foot drop awaited if I made a mistake. So, I decided to turn around and try to connect to another trail that looked near parallel to the first but was lower down the mountain still heading in the general direction I wanted to go. I got to where I thought the cut-off was, which matched my live location on the app. Nothing there. Nothing even remotely resembled a trail or evidence of a trail. So I tried what looked like one more trail that would lead me in the general direction I was planning on staying for the night. At this trail cut-off (again, no sign) someone had put two parallel sticks in the ground. I started down the trail when it disappeared. For those of you who haven’t been off of well-marked trails, sometimes the trail blends in with the surrounding rocks, plants, grass, overgrowth etc. I continued forward for another half a mile to see if I could pick up the trail again. I couldn’t. I was still a little spooked from being at the edge of the gorge earlier that I didn’t think it was wise to continue to forge my own trail. The sun was starting to set and I didn’t know if I would reach a point again where I would be forced to turn around, so I turned around on my own. I pulled out my map and looked for the nearest “town” (aka name on the map) and headed in that direction. I made it just as the moon was lighting up the sky and a wonderful refuge welcomed me for the night.
This is an actual picture. Which way would you go??
Especially when you’re just starting out, hiking can seem overwhelming. Even when you’re experienced, things don’t always go as planned. Nature is incredible and always changing. In its basic form, injury, adversity or hiccups happen when there is a mismatch between the organism, the task and the environment. So, start practicing where you live. Your environment. Use a map to help you get around your neighborhood or on nearby trips. See if you can always identify which cardinal direction you are headed, even when you are running day to day errands. Start to purposefully identify landmarks which can help you orient to your surroundings. Gain confidence in your low risk, familiar environment and then transfer your new skill to a new environment. Learn. Prepare. Do.
Tip #5 - Fuel your body well
There is a good chance that you’ll be more physically active preparing for and during your hiking, trek or walking holiday. Now is the time to start fueling your body appropriately. Food provides fuel for your body to move, just like gas to a car. High quality, whole foods (think foods a kindergartener would be able to identify in all colors of the rainbow) provide cleaner fuel for your body to run on. In another post we’ll cover just how much fuel you’ll be burning and therefore need to replenish. However, increasing your activity without increasing your fuel supply is a recipe for disaster. The car can’t run on empty! Calorically dense items such as nuts, bars and chocolate (yes, chocolate!) can help achieve your fueling goals without needing to drastically increase the total volume or amount that you eat which may make you feel stuffed. Start now, your body will thank you.
What do you recommend to get started today?
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