Travel has this way of exciting the soul and intoxicating the mind. The all encompassing joy that starts to flow through your being when the planning stage begins can distract and occupy the mind completely. What to wear, what to see and where to stay? Perhaps you are like me and you make lists, the old-fashioned kind that fill a fresh notebook. I have a notebook for each trip I have taken, and some that I have only taken in my mind and dreams. But I digress.

All of this excitement and anticipation can cloud the mind and cause us to miss some of the less obvious preparations. The truth is, you will do a lot of walking on your adventures. Unless you are a 4 hours a day, 5 day a week gym-goer, and even then that may not be enough, you will find yourself using muscles you didn’t know were there! It is a good idea to also prepare for the miles you will traverse and the stairs you will climb!

Phone applications can be a great help to keep the boredom at bay while preparing your body for those stairs and miles. Miles on the treadmill or hiking up hills don’t have to be monotonous. I like to use Charity Miles it allows me to give back to a charity for the miles I walk, regardless of where I complete them! I like to use my Fitbit and the accompanying application to track my sleep, which I  miss out on often when I’m excited or an upcoming trip. It also counts my steps and I can track the calories I eat as well. Of course, with this application you must also have one of their devices, but you can also use another application like MyFitnessPal and the use of a pedometer.  One of my favorite applications to use is Map My Hike. With this app I can track my workout, set goals and follow a training plan or workouts and challenges!

Why not prepare your body for the miles of walking as well as the 100s of stairs you are going to climb by using an application or two? You will find that it is easy to log 20K steps in a single day while on an adventure, exploring the world! Add some hiking, do some good for a charity and not only will your muscles and joints thank you, but your heart and soul will too!

“Keep your heart open, a suitcase packed and wonder always, for the world is wide and adventure awaits.”

~ Emylee