Make sure you are fit enough for your trekking holiday

Trekking and walking holidays are a great way to see the world and you will need a certain amount of fitness and stamina in order to get the most out of them. Much depends upon where you are planning to go to, the terrain you will be walking over and the level of intensity. For instance, there are levels of intensity ranging from easy to moderate to expedition with levels in between.  So, when you choose a walking holiday, you need to know what level it is so that you can plan your fitness regime well in advance.

What Sort of Trekking Holiday Are You Going On

If you are planning to go on a 7 day trekking holiday to the Dolomites which is rated as being moderate, you will be looking at walking for around 6 hours per day for 5 days over varied terrain which includes mountain paths and steep inclines. As such, your fitness levels will need to be able to sustain you during this trek so you will need to undertake substantial training beforehand. Building stamina is important and there are many ways of doing this other than just walking. Making use of cross training is very beneficial and will help you build different muscle groups which is not only good for stamina but also for fitness. Using a variety of aerobic exercises such as running, swimming and cycling will build both fitness and stamina. When your fitness levels are rising, you can use interval training for stamina. One method of intensive interval training that is commonly used, is to sprint for half a minute then rest for a full minute then repeat building up the sessions so that you can do a 20 minute cycle without being completely exhausted.  As you are going to be walking in the mountains, you will need to do some training towards this specifically. It is important to spend time hill walking as part of your training regime and as the United Kingdom has such a wonderful variety of hills and mountains, you have plenty of choice. As with any change in regime, any health issues that you have must be taken into account and if necessary, discussed with your doctor.

Healthy Diet Also Important

As well as an increased exercise regime, you will need to make sure that your diet is healthy. It needs to contain plenty of high quality protein as well as carbohydrate and fat. The protein should come from lean meat and fish which is prepared with a variety of vegetables and either potatoes, rice, bread or pasta. Cutting down on refined sugar and saturated fats will enhance your fitness regime and make you feel healthy. This does not mean that you must forgo all guilty pleasures, the occasional piece of cake or chocolate biscuit can still be enjoyed but the key here is occasional. As well as eating healthily, make sure you get enough sleep and that you are drinking enough water.

Training Regime

By engaging in a varied and strenuous training regime, you will be fit enough to go and enjoy your trekking holiday. Not being fit enough means that you will not only struggle to keep up but you will hold others back and this would not be fair on anyone. So, wherever you are planning  to go trekking or walking, make sure that you are fit enough to go and make the most of it and enjoy every second.