Fitness after the Camino

[november_moon]

The various threads on training for the Camino and weight loss during the Camino got me thinking about fitness afterwards. Getting fit, losing weight, toned muscles - all good things and it seems like a shame to let it slip away. I think it is easier to get in shape when you have a goal such as preparing for walking the Camino and of course the goal of reaching Santiago itself once you start, but what about afterwards? How have people kept motivated?

I am ding the Camino to mark my 40th birthday, which is a significant milestone birthday for everyone, but I think it can be especially significant for women in our youth-oriented culture. I want to enter my 40s as healthy as I can be - physically, spiritually, emotionally. Walking the Camino seems like a really great way to help accomplish this.

So then what happens next?

I've considered planning a multi-day bike tour next year to keep the focus on fitness - or beach vacation - more relaxing than the bike tour, but would definitely motivate me to remain fit so that I look good in my swim suit . Yes, that is vain, but we are who we are and have to find the things that motivate us to do what its in our own best interests - LOL.

 

[scruffy1]

A quick glance at this forum will reveal another 47 different ways to arrive in Santiago-all more satisfying than a bike trip-choose one or, better, combine and walk two of them.

 

[Dutch]

Doing sports gives you positive energy and a great looking and more important, a healthy body. And a healthy body is a healthy mind.

After the camino, Join a gym for fitness and toning your body. Start a new (team)sport. Go running. This is great for the legs and your endurance level...oh and your abs. Things women (and men) find important. The same goes for bike riding and the legs.
Anything that gets the heartrate going faster is good for you.

 

[Magwood]

November_moon, you don't need to worry about an activity to keep you fit on your return from walking the camino. Within a very short time you will be planning your next camino, and having decided which route you will take next, you will start to think about the one after that. I am setting off on my second camino (Portuguese from Lisbon) in six weeks and am considering the via de la plata for next year. Be warned - the camino is not just for one year - it is for life!

 

[Tincatinker]

I'm with scruffy1. To stay Camino fit, stay Camino active.

 

[CanPete]

I would recommend to find something that you like doing as the main priority, preferably with some other people to add some accountability . . . People over estimate how long enthusiasm for their long term goals will last and therefor it is important to set smaller goals, which are manageable, yet provide positive enforcement (smaller dress size, better time on a 5 km run, more calories burned in a 30 minute workout on the cross-trainer . . .)
If the activity (or activities) you picked include a cardio-vascular and a strengthening (or muscle toning component) you're half way there !!! Good luck and Buen camino !

 

[Saint Mike II]

As usual, lots of good advice from our fonts of all knowledge. Here are a few other suggestions.
How about joining or even starting a local walking group. Gets you out-doors a couple of days a week. You get to meet new people and see a part of your local district that you may not have known about. Yes there are more than a few Caminos you can walk, or even bike along. So "happy 40th"; congrats on doing / completing the Way. Cheers & Buen Camino! !

 

[november_moon]

Thanks for the input - and for the birthday wishes It is all very helpful. And I agree - the short term goals are important to stay motivated. It is hard to remain focused on the long term goals without the interim ones. An thanks for the warning about the Camino being for life.

I am always conflicted about returning to places/things I love and going to new places. I approach trips as though I will be back because I find that the quickest way to screw up travel is to go in with the "once in a lifetime" mindset - too much pressure - but some places will end up being one-time visits just due to the way things work out.

With only 3-4 weeks a year of vacation and a whole world calling my name, this is the eternal conflict - repeats or new places. I just consider myself fortunate that this is even a dilemma for me.

 

[CaminoKris2013]

Hey November-moon, I too am facing a milestone birthday, (50), and only wish I knew about this 10 years ago. At least I know of it now! I will most definitely lose weight and get more toned (nowhere to go but up). I definitely do want go then keep myself in good shape. Motivations for other walks, whether a different Camino or even just a different long distance walk is in my future.

Buen Camino! Y Felix cumpleanos!

 

[headinclouds]

Hi November_moon, I did the Portuguese from Lisbon 6 months ago and I have not been consistent in my fitness efforts since. I would still like to take up running, but I think I will need to find a goal, like a fun run, to make it happen. I have managed to maintain a daily walk, so I am now looking to build on that.

For me, it's been critical to have a very specific goal, 'getting fitter' has been to vague. Walking the camino has given me a desire to keep going to new places and to return to Spain. Blogging the camino has encouraged me to start writing regularly. I'm still assessing the long term impact, both in terms of fitness and approach to life.

Cheers,
Phil.

totallyphil.blogspot.com.au

 

[Betty Bauer]

I have not done the Camino yet, but since I have been thinking about it for a few years already, I started the last year to prepare for the transition to and from as much as possible. A lot of this involves simplifying my closet ... but also connecting exercise goals with what will hopefully be adequate Camino training. In my travels before, I hated the idea of leaving whatever peace or resolution I found in particular places, so I am trying my best to fit this all into the same thing, if that makes sense, and in that way I'll have a better transition afterwards and for the future with what that might involve (Camino for LIFE!!!) #kindaexcited
I don't like the idea of leaving anything behind. I try to take it all with me in the most prudent way possible.

 

[Avenelite]

Thanks for the input - and for the birthday wishes It is all very helpful. And I agree - the short term goals are important to stay motivated. It is hard to remain focused on the long term goals without the interim ones. An thanks for the warning about the Camino being for life.

I am always conflicted about returning to places/things I love and going to new places. I approach trips as though I will be back because I find that the quickest way to screw up travel is to go in with the "once in a lifetime" mindset - too much pressure - but some places will end up being one-time visits just due to the way things work out.

With only 3-4 weeks a year of vacation and a whole world calling my name, this is the eternal conflict - repeats or new places. I just consider myself fortunate that this is even a dilemma for me.

Hi November_Moon. Best wishes for both your birthday and for your desire to remain fit. Training for the Camino has taken me up and down many country lanes that I was already familiar with and many that I didn't even know existed. I've also discovered the peace and serenity I gain by walking up and down the hills in a famer's paddock close to my small country town. It's just me, the sky, the clouds, the trees [not a lot but enough for shade when I need it], the sheep and 360 degree views across to the town and beyond. I return from Spain in July and have made a promise to myself to continue exploring these hills. Apart from the fitness, there's space and time to sit, reflect, even write if I want to. Bliss...

 

[peregrina2000]

The various threads on training for the Camino and weight loss during the Camino got me thinking about fitness afterwards. Getting fit, losing weight, toned muscles - all good things and it seems like a shame to let it slip away. I think it is easier to get in shape when you have a goal such as preparing for walking the Camino and of course the goal of reaching Santiago itself once you start, but what about afterwards? How have people kept motivated?
So then what happens next?
.

Hi, november moon, I know I've said this before, but for me, a totally unexpected benefit of walking the Camino has been a pretty substantial increase in the amount of my daily activity in my non-camino months. After a few caminos, I started to think that it was kind of silly to get in shape to walk the camino, then return to my normal routine, and then have to get in shape again before the next camino. Little by little I have increased my activity level and I now just don't have to do anything before I start walking. Once you are really focused on it, you can find millions of ways to reduce the sedentary parts of your lifestyle. The Camino doesn't require sculpted abs or bikini bodies, though I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but rather a high level of endurance and cardiovascular strength. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[freescot]

If you want to retain some of the wonderful experience of "slowing down" which you have on the Camino, it can help to walk everywhere you possibly can: capture that perspective which you have gained on the Camino that walking 4 or 5 miles is nothing, just a couple of hours. Why rush? Of course, november moon, you are young and probably have responsabilities and work and so on which make this suggestion fairly impractical. I wouldn't have taken this advice at your age, but, then, I hadn't walked the Camino either.

 

[november_moon]

I like this concept of Camino For Life - even if a person doesn't every walk to Santiago again, just incorporating aspects of the Camino into our lives.

The slowing down, like freescot mentioned. Even with the responsibilities of life, we can still do something to mitigate the madness, prioritize and make sure we focus on what is really important and let some of the noise fall away. I think too often we let the noise fill our lives and it pushes out the meaningful stuff. By remembering the lessons from the Camino, we can be mindful about what we allow to fill our lives. For example, walking everywhere might take up too much time in our daily lives, but we can still incorporate walks in a mindful way. My husband and I are doing a lot of hiking as preparation - we like hiking and have always tried to get out to the woods regularly, but sometimes months or even a year will go by without a hike - but with the upcoming Camino, we are making a point to hike as much as we reasonably can. Post-Camino, we can continue to make hiking a priority and take that time for ourselves, not as often as we do right now, but still on a regular basis. Another thing we like to do, but don't generally make time for is a Sunday morning bike ride along the creek in town, followed by breakfast and shopping at the farmer's market - it combines some exercise with good food and just a general slowing down of things - plus we always run into people we know, which is nice. We just never seem to get over there to do it. But we could, if we made that a priority.

The other aspect of the Camino For Life is just the general incorporation of fitness and physical activity in our lives - just keep moving, find ways to add activity to our lives. It's like when you need to conserve water (we are in a drought right now, so it is on my mind). We are generally pretty good with conservation, but when the drought came, we started focusing on it. We found a couple additional ways to conserve, then a couple more because we were in that mind set. Pretty soon, we are saving several additional gallons a day.


Camino Kris - Congrats on your milestone birthday too. It just seems like the perfect thing to walk into the next decade of our lives - and be ready to take what comes next, both physically and spiritually.

 

[Diogo92]

A lot of people took the same actions has I did, and I didn't think that it was possible for me.

I'm now maintaining a more "moving" and green life.

Not only the Camiño, but other aspects of my life, made me change my way of living in the world.

I started to walk an average of about 10km per day (7 on an exercise pace, and the rest on dislocations that I have to do, like going to the train station, to catch the train to go to work). I would like to run, but I only found out a few days ago how can I control my respiration, without staying out of breath on a 400m run (I have some problems with my respiratory system, so I’m still waiting to talk with my doctor so that he can say if I can run or not).

More things I have done, ditching more aspects of my sedentary life: I've deleted my Facebook account, since it was becoming an addiction, and I started to spend less and less time with internet (except with the Forum ) or television; I now spend at least one or two of my rest days in the wild (just me, some water to drink and cook, a fire, a good book, and Nature); I've started to eat less meat, dairy and fish products, and I can say that I have now a proper diet, combining this ones that I talked, with a lot of fruits, vegetables and fibers; I think I’ll start to grow a “mini-farm” on the balcony of my apartment; I’m sleeping at least 8 hours per day.

What have this changed? Well, I can now wake up without needing an alarm clock, which is the best way for you to wake up. I still have it turned it on, just in case
I don’t know if I lost any weight, but I definitely gained more muscular mass. I now have much more energy than I had before, and I feel better with my body, myself, and with the things that surround me.

Sometimes there are little things that we change, that can really help to improve our lives. We just have to focus on what, and work it out. For me was all this, for others may be other things.
Who knows, if just everybody just turned off their TV’s, went out at least two mornings per week, and had a 4 or 5km walk, if the world wouldn’t be a different place

And don’t forget: a fitted mind, it’s so important has a fitted body.

 

[Kiwi-family]

I set myself the goal to hike all the trails around where I live, and also mapped out some long routes around town.....the process of marking them in bright pink on the map when completed is motivating for me, especially as the map fills up with my lines.

 

[kmaster268]

The various threads on training for the Camino and weight loss during the Camino got me thinking about fitness afterwards. Getting fit, losing weight, toned muscles - all good things and it seems like a shame to let it slip away. I think it is easier to get in shape when you have a goal such as preparing for walking the Camino and of course the goal of reaching Santiago itself once you start, but what about afterwards? How have people kept motivated?

I am ding the Camino to mark my 40th birthday, which is a significant milestone birthday for everyone, but I think it can be especially significant for women in our youth-oriented culture. I want to enter my 40s as healthy as I can be - physically, spiritually, emotionally. Walking the Camino seems like a really great way to help accomplish this.

So then what happens next?

I've considered planning a multi-day bike tour next year to keep the focus on fitness - or beach vacation - more relaxing than the bike tour, but would definitely motivate me to remain fit so that I look good in my swim suit . Yes, that is vain, but we are who we are and have to find the things that motivate us to do what its in our own best interests - LOL.

I want to play football and swimming, that would also look good in the summer in some batches

 

[LisaWalker]

November_moon, you don't need to worry about an activity to keep you fit on your return from walking the camino. Within a very short time you will be planning your next camino, and having decided which route you will take next, you will start to think about the one after that. I am setting off on my second camino (Portuguese from Lisbon) in six weeks and am considering the via de la plata for next year. Be warned - the camino is not just for one year - it is for life!

I arrive in Santiago tomorrow. 800 done on camino France's. I'm not planning another. DONE!

 

[CanPete]

I arrive in Santiago tomorrow. 800 done on camino France's. I'm not planning another. DONE!

Congrats on completing your Camino ! I'm willing to put some money on you changing your mind about doing another camino . . . Give it some time; you'll be looking to get back to your walking ways . . .

 

[TheTinkerBell]

Two words for you NM........Tai Chi.

 

[Magwood]

I arrive in Santiago tomorrow. 800 done on camino France's. I'm not planning another. DONE!

Don't be too hasty - let us know if you still feel the same in a few months...

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

I arrive in Santiago tomorrow. 800 done on camino France's. I'm not planning another. DONE!

Hi Lisa, well done.
Wish you well , Peter.