You’ve just confirmed your reservation for Walt Disneyworld. Congrats, you’re going to Disney! Now you can plan your park days, the outfits you want to wear, the foods you must eat, and what shops to visit. If you’re like most guests, you’d stop your planning there. But you’re not like most guests. You must be ready – at all costs! If you want to get the most out of your Disney vacation, your body needs to be in tip-top shape for the trip.

It seems obvious that a Disney trip requires a lot out of you physically. But did you know that the average mileage of a Disney guest at the parks is 21,000 steps per day? That equates to 9 miles! Add to that the weight of your backpack, standing in long attraction queues, having to walk up and down stairs, and for the parents out there, pushing your little ones in their stroller. How many of you feel your hips, knees, or feet aching just reading this? (My hand is definitely up by the way).  It’s no understatement to say that your body goes through a lot when you’re at the Most Magical Place on Earth. 

Not being ready physically and then diving head first into a week-long Disney trip is like taking your family sedan and signing up for a touring car race: you might be good to go at the start line, but your chances of making it to the finish line feeling strong are slim. So what do you do to prepare? Here are my top tips for training your body to be ready for everything Disney has for you.

Update Your Daily Routine

To meet the walking demands of the Disney parks, your body should be used to walking pretty close to the amount you expect to walk at Walt Disneyworld. Start by taking your average daily step count (take the number of steps you walked every day for the last week and divide that number by 7). Aim to add 10% of that number to your average every week. For instance, if your current average is 10,000 steps per day, make it 11,000 steps the next week. The week after that, make it 12,100, then 13,310, and so on. You don’t have to be extremely accurate, but you want to be relatively close! If you want a sample walking plan for you to use, I created one for you right here.

What about those long queues? Some of those attraction queues can be up to 6 hours (I’m looking at you Rise of the Resistance and Flight of Passage). To get your body ready, start incorporating more standing into your daily routine. Got a desk job? Start using a stand-up desk. Stuck in class all day? See if you can stand in the back of the classroom (seriously, who takes notes anyways?). Add some standing time while watching your favorite Disney+ series. Stand while folding your laundry. Avoid drive-throughs when going to get fast food. Walk at the mall when it’s extremely busy. If you really want to, when given the choice at the store or supermarket, choose the longer line. The little actions add up! Just like walking, aim to increase your standing time incrementally over the course of several months. 

Don’t forget to incorporate stairs into your routine! Choose the stairs over the elevator, skip the moving walkways at airports, park at the top of the parking garage. There are a myriad of ways to get your body ready, and I bet that some of them are pretty easy to incorporate into your routine.

Start Hitting the Gym

One of the most effective ways to get your body prepared for your Disney trip is to start hitting the gym. Got an allergy to all things weight lifting? Think of it as “training for Disney!” Besides, your body will thank you after your 14 hour park day. The good news is that the American College of Sports Medicine recommends just 2 days per week of weight training. For all that walking, you should focus on strengthening your legs and abdominal muscles. If you want to be prepared to lift your check-in luggage (with all your new merch) onto the bus back to the airport (or if you want the endurance to carry your little one in and out of their stroller all day), add strengthening exercises for your chest, shoulders, back, and arms. Here are some exercise ideas to get you started:

In terms of exercise intensity, choose a resistance that challenges you enough, but not something too hard to where you sacrifice your form. Make it too easy and you gain very little. Make it too hard and you risk injuring yourself!

Prep the Week Prior

So you’ve upped your step count. You’ve spent more of your day standing. You’ve used the stairs more often. You’ve been hitting the gym regularly for the past few months. With your trip coming up so soon, you want your body in the best shape possible to tackle Walt Disneyworld. So now what? Time to rest!

You read that right. At least 2 days prior to your trip, doing less activity will allow your body to rest and be fully prepared for the physical demands of the parks. So, feel free to spend more time sitting at your desk, doing a little less walking, and taking 2 days off from the gym. This will allow your muscles to replenish their glycogen storage. What does this mean? More energy for you at the parks!

Another strategy you want to take advantage of is staying hydrated. Not only is staying hydrated important for long flights, but it’s also important in keeping your joints and tissues well lubricated. Your hydration levels can also determine how long you’ll last during your trip: if you start off dehydrated, not only will you feel tired more easily, but it will be more difficult to rehydrate yourself and recover for subsequent days! The National Academy of medicine suggests drinking about 13 cups (104 ounces) and 9 cups (72 ounces) for healthy men and women, respectively. Drink more if you are more physically active or live in warmer climates.

One final tip: Aim to get around 7-9 hours of sleep (more if you can) per night the week leading up to your trip. Borrowing a strategy from endurance athletes, “sleep banking” is a where you accumulate more sleep as you lead up to a big event where you’re likely to miss sleep. Doing so increases endurance and decreases factors that lead to injury and recovery. This strategy works really well for all you park goers who want to go from rope drop to close – for multiple days.

So there you have it – my top 3 tips to get your body in tip-top shape for your next Disney trip. If you like what you read, go ahead and like my post and share it with your friends. If you have any suggestions, comments, or ideas you would like me to blog about in the future, feel free to leave a comment down below!

Remember, these are only suggestions. While I am a practicing physical therapist, it’s always recommended that you speak to a medical professional who knows your particular situation before you travel.