In my previous post, I discussed some of the physical demands that a typical Disney trip requires. To meet the walking demands, your body should be used to walking pretty close to the amount you expect to walk at the parks. I also broke down how to gradually increase your walking distance over time so that you decrease the risk of injury. Today, I want to take this a step further (pun totally intended) and give you a useful resource so that your feet will be ready for your next Disney vacation. In other words, I went ahead and did the calculations so you don’t have to.
Let’s discuss how to use this chart. Start by figuring out what your current daily step count is. If you’ve got a smart phone or smart watch, this task is easy. Whatever that number is, round toward the nearest thousand. At the left of the chart, find your current daily step count. For week one, work on consistently achieving that number 3-4 days that week. Once you reach week 2, you will move over one column and aim reach that next number 3-4 days that week. Once you reach week 3, you will move over another column. Continue increasing your step count until you reach your goal.
The key to successfully completing this program is being able to complete each week of walking without having any new symptoms of soreness or pain in your legs at the end of each day. If you do have any of these symptoms, stay at the same step count and repeat for one more week until you don’t have these symptoms.
Crunched for time? Here’s a chart that increases step count by 20% each week.
21,000 steps per day? No problem! Your body will thank you later.
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.
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[…] 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! UPDATE: If you want a sample walking plan for you to use, I created one for you right here. […]