Adventure Travel is listed as one of the top three life goals for those who are retired or near retired.  If you’re in that category or just love to travel, I invite you to take Walking The World’s 100 Day Walking Challenge – #2.

First, why walk?  Biomechanically, we’re made to walk.  Walking is easier for us physically than sitting down.  Actually, there are a thousand good reasons to walk, but mostly it’s fun, you’ll feel better the moment you take that first step, you get up close and personal with the world you live in and you’ll start to smile for no reason at all.

Second, if you want to enjoyably experience the rainforests of Costa Rica, the hidden slot canyons of Southeastern Utah, the fall colors of Maine or the hillside towns of Tuscany, you’ll need to be in good enough physical condition to enjoy all that those areas offer.

As an example, the food and wine in Italy are truly some of the best in the world.  You don’t want to join one of our trips to Tuscany and then have to refuse a glass of smooth, scrumptious red wine from Montalcino or a freshly baked croissant for breakfast simply because you weren’t prepared physically.  Participating in our 100 Day Walking Challenge will help you develop the endurance and strength to handle those decadently good Italian wines and desserts!

In October of 2011 we initiated our first 100 Day Walking Challenge and numerous readers have asked us to offer it again.  So, join us and let’s get started!

Taking a walking trip, walking tour or walking vacation, whatever your preferred name for a chance to explore on foot the magical destinations this world offers, requires that you be in reasonably good physical condition.  Our 100 Day Walking Challenge will prepare you for your coming walking vacations in several ways.  Walking each day for 100 Days will help build your stamina and endurance.  Completing a series of bodyweight exercises each day will help build upper body strength, leg strength and core strength.

In this year’s 100 Day Walking Challenge, we’re asking you to walk every day for 100 days.  We’re also inviting you to set a minimum daily goal that you’ll commit to.  As an example, you might set a goal of walking AT LEAST one mile each day for 100 Days.  If you prefer walking for time, you might do that, or you might enjoy walking for a minimum number of steps, possibly measuring your steps with a pedometer.

If you have a heart rate monitor with a GPS it will be easy to track your time, distance, calories burned and pace.  One nice aspect of having GPS is that you don’t have to worry about measuring distance on a set course and then walking that same course every day.  Having GPS allows you to walk wherever you choose while the GPS tracks your course and distance and records it all on your watch style receiver.

If you prefer to walk for time, I recommend walking a known distance, say one mile, and recording the number of minutes it takes.  Do this several times to get an average.  Once you have an average time to walk a mile, say 20 minutes, you can head out for a 20 minute walk and know generally that you’ve just done one mile.

Equipment and clothing you’ll need.  Walking is easy.  Almost anyone can do it.  You can do it anywhere and you don’t need a lot of clothing and equipment.  You will need a good pair of walking/running shoes, a good pair of sunglasses (they should block UVA and UVB rays and be Polarized), plenty of sunscreen – and don’t forget your lips when applying sun protection, a good hat and PLENTY OF WATER.

Water and walking trips.  Staying hydrated during your 100 Day Walking Challenge is one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy and happy.  You should drink before your walk, during your walk and after your walk.  You must be adequately hydrated in order for your body, and mind, to function at optimal levels.  And yes, if you drink a lot of water, you’re going to have to pee more.  Just how it works!

Water bottles or a hydration system like Camelbak, Platypus, MSR or Geigerrig allow you to carry adequate water for your walks.  I invite you to check out the new Geigerrig at www.geigerrig.com to see how this innovative hydration system works.  Basically, the Geigerrig is a pressurized system that allows you to drink water, share water with friends or pets, or wash off wounds or dirt without needing to share your bite valve with others.  You simply squeeze the mouth piece and water flows freely to you, your pet, your friend or anywhere else you might need to supply life sustaining water.

Buddies are great for helping one stay committed to a 100 Day Walking Challenge.  So, find one, or more, of your friends or family members who will join you and you’ll both have more fun and gain some endurance and strength in the process.

Oh, and did I mention that after walking every day for 100 Days, you’ll also look better too?!  Depending on how fast and how far you walk and how much up and downs you include in your walks, you may or not lose a lot of weight.  You will though take off some inches, which can be just as positive as losing a few pounds.

So, again, I invite you to join us in our 100 Day Walking Challenge.  Let us know if you have any questions we can help with – AND – tell us how you’re doing.

Oh, and if you’d enjoy some practical information on how to prepare for your walking vacations, I invite you to download my FREE eBook, THE DAYHIKER’S GUIDE TO ADVENTURE TRAVEL.  I’ve put together more than 100 pages of information on clothing, equipment and trail techniques to help make sure your walking trips are safe and enjoyable.  Simply “Like” us on our Walking The World Facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/WalkingTheWorld, and enter your email to immediately download your FREE copy.

So TAKE THE CHALLENGE and GET UP! GO WILD! GIVE BACK!

GOOD WALKING!

Ward Luthi and Marketa Jancar
Walking The World
www.walkingtheworld.com
info@walkingtheworld.com