Preparing the body

These are some of the things I have done to stay fit and healthy in general and that I think helped prepare for the Camino.

Preparing the body for a long walk like the Camino can involve some of the activities you normally do and some others that target specific Camino needs.
You can walk a Camino without doing any preparation so if you don’t have time don’t worry.
However with some preparation the first week to 10 days will be much more pleasant and you won’t have to wait so long to get your trail fitness.

The feet
There is a thing called conditioning the feet. Walking 20 + km a day every day puts demands on your feet above and beyond what you normally do. The following will help
✔️ Walk 5 days a week between 5 km and 20 km if possible
✔️Take time to get the best shoes or boots - and best socks - for you.
✔️ Identify any current feet issues (crossed toes, flat feet etc) and potential issues. A podiatrist can assess the health of your feet and advise on orthotics and shoes
✔️ Walk in bare feet - practice yoga feet (https://youtu.be/ea4MF7IqILA)
✔️ Do some ankle exercises- these will strengthen the muscles in your feet, ankles and legs - https://www.healthline.com/health/sprained-ankl…
✔️ Practice waking with poles. Used effectively they can reduce the weight on feet, ankles, knees and hips by 25% (so I was told). Walking up hill and on the flat use poles in the Nordic Walking fashion. Down hill use like walking sticks to take some of your weight and help with balance.

The body
✔️ One of the best and relatively easy preparations for the body is to take alternating hot and cold showers. After your normal shower alternate 20 seconds hot with 40 seconds cold. Repeat 3-5 or more cycles. (You can start with hot/cool and work up to hot/cold). This stimulates hormesis - where your system can get rid of any body cells that are past their use by date. It also helps the body to be more adaptable to different temperatures and believe it or not switches on the vagus nerve which is your ‘rest and digest’ nerve.
On this Camino the only time I was cold was one night when I didn’t eat enough - and that was cured by dinner. I think this practice also made my whole system stronger and more adaptable when I compare myself to previous Caminos, before I started this practice.

✔️ Good core body strength helps with the backpack.
Walk with your pack a couple of times a week.
Do some exercises to strengthen your core e.g. - https://youtu.be/dGgSI_Js_GY
Do some hip / glute strengthening exercises
✔️ Check out a good body worker- chiropractor, osteopath, massage therapist to identify any particular issues that will impact how you walk or carry you pack.
✔️ Make sure you have your pack fitted for your body and learn how to wear it properly.
✔️ Find a series of stretches that you can do in Camino - and practice before hand. Doing a few targeted stretches during and after your days walking can make a huge difference to how your body feels the next day.

Finally - relax, do what you can and don’t worry about what you can’t do.
The main thing is to start slowly - shorter distances - plenty of breaks - and above all listen to your body. As a teacher of mine said ‘The body know how to take care of itself’.Read more