How to Get Into Walking Shape For Disney World
If you’ve never visited Disney World before, you may not be totally aware of how much exercise you’re about to get.
Most people walk between 7 to 10 miles per day in Disney World, or around 15,000 to 20,000 steps. You may walk even more if you like to stay from rope drop to closing time.
During my last visit, I walked over 60 miles in 6 days. 😳
Whether you’re a beginner to exercise or someone like me who exercises regularly but primarily chooses low-impact work, the truth is that your legs and feet may be screaming by the end of your first day.
So how do we avoid this?? Well, you have some choices to make, but we have some recommendations. Let’s get into it!
#1: Start Walking
Even if you’re like me and you can often be found on a spin bike or lifting weights and you consider yourself to be in okay shape, start walking NOW. A spin bike does not give your feet the same effect as walking.
As soon as you book your trip, it’s not a bad idea to start planning your walks. A month out from my trip, I started out doing a minimum of 15-minute walks per day around my neighborhood in the new comfy shoes I got for the parks. I recommend starting earlier than that if you can.
For extra fun, bring your phone and some earbuds and listen to things like the MickeyBlog Podcast or MickeyBlog’s YouTube videos to get excited about visiting Disney World!
#2: Choose Your Shoes Carefully
There are many of us (myself included) who buy new shoes before vacation. Whether you’re looking for the perfect cute shoes for photos or something practical and comfy, there are a few things you might want to consider.
First, cushioning is important. As much as we love our Vans and our Converse, they don’t have much cushioning, and while that can be fine most days — your feet may be screaming at the end of day one in Disney World.
We recommend looking either for shoes with built-in cushioning or getting new insoles for your existing shoes.
Second, the reality is that it rains often in Florida. Even if you do your best to stay out of the rain, there’s still a big possibility that your shoes can get very, very wet. You may want to grab shoes that can dry fast or have a thicker sole so that you don’t have to spend hours blow-drying them at the end of the day.
Third, even your favorite trusty shoes might end up giving you blisters after a few full days of walking. We recommend bringing at least two pairs of comfy walking shoes, which also works in the event that you end up in a downpour and one pair of shoes is drenched.
Alternating shoes can help prevent the same areas from rubbing, which helps with blisters and soreness, too.
#3: Break in Your Shoes
If you do decide to get new shoes, it’s probably a no-brainer that we’d recommend breaking them in before your trip. Since you’re starting to walk more already, try wearing the shoes you plan on bringing.
Trust me, you do not want to make the same mistake I made wearing brand-new shoes to the parks. I had tried them on and worn them around the house so I thought I was safe, but after a few hours of walking around Disney World — I realized I had made a huge mistake.
Although you probably don’t want to bring shoes that are very well-worn, make sure you spend at least a few weeks breaking into your new shoes.
#4: Try Strength Workouts
You don’t have to start doing 100lb deadlifts to get into walking shape! There are many free and quick lower-body workouts out there, and it doesn’t hurt to strengthen your legs, knees, ankles, and feet before your trip.
Yes, in addition to your feet getting a workout, your legs, knees, ankles, and even hips will also feel the miles of walking you’ll do in Disney World.
For my last trip, I focused on lower body strengthening workouts as well as lots of yoga and stretching in the weeks leading up to our trip. It made a big difference!
You might even want to start working on your upper body and core if you plan on toting a large backpack around the parks!
#5: Bring Supplies
For many of us, it’s inevitable that our feet are gonna hurt regardless of how prepared we are. They may not hurt quite as much if we get used to walking beforehand, but they’re probably gonna hurt a little after those full park days.
To aid recovery at the end of every day, I brought a typical ice bag that fit just fine in our luggage, and I could fill it with ice from the ice machine at the hotel. You could also use any kind of resealable bag!
I also strongly recommend bringing bandaids (including blister bandaids) and antibacterial ointment. When all else fails and you end up with a blister or two, you’ll be glad you brought those items.
If you forget, you can always order delivery through Amazon or check out your hotel gift shop!
#6: Rest Days and Other Options
And finally, it’s never a bad idea to build rest days into your Disney World trip! Sleeping in and spending a day relaxing by the pool can do wonders for all those aches and pains.
If rest days aren’t an option for your trip, you may want to consider renting an Electric Conveyance Vehicle (ECV), which is typically available at Disney Park entrances while supplies last.
For a daily fee, you can let your feet rest and still cover plenty of ground in the parks.
Now you’re probably thinking this is a LOT to deal with and think about before you even get to Disney World! Well, that’s true. After all, Disney World is more of a “trip” than a “vacation,” and it helps to think about it similarly to preparing for a marathon!
If you want to have some of the planning stress taken off your plate, you can hand over your Disney World trip plans to a MickeyTravels agent for FREE. Yes, it’s free, and they can take care of all your Disney World plans at no extra cost — or stress. Click here for a free quote!
Keep reading MickeyBlog for more Disney news!