By Hariharan. V, 15th December 2022
Preparing mentally and physically is a must for any Trek. Taking on the challenge of going for a trek may seem daunting but be assured you can do it. We at Foot Steps of Humans believe in taking things slowly and listening to your body. This article tries to list out the overall key points to follow to better prepare yourself for a trek.
Signing up for any trek, a day or High-Altitude Trek is a big step towards your goal and this calls for good self-appreciation first.
Two Aspects of Preparation
The two main aspects you must consider before preparing for a trek are mental and physical. A strong mental fortitude will also ensure your motivation to train for a trek. The mental aspect of the trek refers to mostly your mindset before and during any trek. The physical generally refers to your capability of trekking through varied terrain and altitudes.
The fitness level requirements vary greatly with distance covered, days trekking and altitude. Most day-treks such as Sadhasiva Kona near Andhra Pradesh and Kookal falls trek and other beginner level treks can be done by most individuals. However, High altitude treks such as Everest Base Camp, Kashmir Great Lakes will require significant fitness levels as compared to local treks (as mentioned above).
Mental Preparation
Getting yourself ready mentally for a trek is important as believing that you can finish a trek is the first step to ensure you can do it. The mind pushes your body to go that extra mile. Gist is, Mindset is everything; a positive mindset can make or break your trek and changes your outlook on the process.
For a Strong Mindset
To build up mental fortitude before a trek:
Understand that it is normal to be nervous and is something that everyone feels before the start of any trek. Acceptance of the fear of the unknown and that this fear is what makes us human.
Set the right expectation, that a trek is a completely different experience and there are a lot of things that will be completely new.
Research and due diligence; can be done by speaking to concerned personnel, watching videos or reading blogs. By knowing what you’re getting into you can help mitigate some of the unknowns.
Understand that you’re going for a trek and it’ll be an experience and you have the choice to make it an amazing one or an average one.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Most often we find people being hard on themselves for getting tired and falling behind the group. They get angry at themselves for stuff like being an athlete in school and then struggling on a trek and so on. Trekking is a spiritual journey and the furthest thing from a competition. No two people have the same experience on any trek.
Meditating can help bring clarity and help calm the mind and is a practice you can adopt even while preparing physically before the start of the trek.
Physical preparation
A trek involves walking for many hours through undulating terrain and varying altitudes, hence it requires a certain level of fitness. You should choose a trek that plays to your current level of fitness and that gives you enough time to prepare
Structuring an exercise regime
As you sign up for a trek, count the weeks for that trek and note it down. In a week, you should target 3-4 sessions of dedicated working out; the rest of the week on passive exercise such as taking the stairs and stretching. You can use fixed days with a day’s rest between workouts to allow your body to heal.
What types of activities and exercises can be done?
Activities such as walking, running, cycling, climbing stairs and swimming are ideal as they target the muscles you’ll be using the most while trekking. Apart from that, Strength Training exercises such as squats, lunges, crunches and pushups will help build your strength. Start it slow and increase the intensity as your progress and based on your capability.
Ideally, you want to build a regime that can easily be applied to your current schedule. For example, if you walk regularly, increase the time of walking and carry a light backpack with some bottles to help build your stamina.
If you live in an apartment, climbing the stairs regularly will help build your leg strength. A steep slope also works and is the perfect tool to prepare for a trek.
Sleep. Hydrate. Repeat.
Hydration! It is vital to stay hydrated. Not merely during the trek, but also when you are training. Less water means lower stamina, more exhaustion, and possible altitude sickness. Also, you need to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night before you set off for your trip. Many travelers tend to suffer from insomnia at higher altitudes, which makes your expedition tougher.
As a final point, trekking should be something you enjoy. It should not turn into a laborious task you want to get done with. After all, it's not a competition! So go, explore the wonder around you and take it all in. Happy Trekking!
Credits
https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/trekking-training-guide-tips/
https://adventure-pulse.com/blog/prepare-for-a-trek/
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