One of the simplest exercises that we can do in our daily life is to walk. Perhaps because it does not need gyms, special equipment or "personal trainers", it is easy to underestimate, but it is about one of the healthiest and most affordable activities within our reach, and more necessary than ever in the situation we are in, after a year of pandemic that has included several months of forced confinement and closed gyms.
The positive effects of walking on the physical are well known: weight loss, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, lower risk of cardiovascular disease... But in recent years, more and more studies have appeared demonstrating the effects of walking on the mental health. According to many scientists, going for a walk (especially outdoors) has, among other effects:
- Improve the capacity of attention and memory of our brain.
- Reduce the risk of depression and anxiety.
- Prevent cognitive decline caused by age.
To this we must also add, in the case of outdoor exercise, exposure to sunlight, which improves our vitamin D and serotonin levels, key neurotransmitter to improve sleep quality and mood.
Walking as preparation for the Camino.
It is foreseeable that at some point this year (perhaps in a matter of a few months) the pilgrims will finally be able to return to the Camino. Apart from its added spiritual values, it is clear that from a purely physical point of view, doing the Camino de Santiago is the "outdoor exercise" par excellence: walking several kilometers every day for a week (at least) will provide us with all the activity and contact with nature that we need. The risk of contagion in the open air is ridiculous, and when it comes to spending the night, if we don't want to go to a hostel, we can always book a room in the many hotels and hostels that exist along the Camino.
The only problem that can occur is that, after a year of sedentary lifestyle and movement restrictions, many of us are not used to the physical effort involved in going through the stages of the Camino. For this reason, it is convenient that we prepare ourselves from now on, which in any case will serve as an exercise.
Preparing for the Camino is basically easy, and it is not even necessary to follow a rigorous exercise schedule. It consists simply of get used to walking every day. Veteran pilgrims advise the following:
- Start by walking every day at least 5 or 8 kilometers.
- As the weeks go by, lengthen the distances up to 10-15 kilometers a day.
- It is also convenient to get used to walking carrying the weight of the backpack. As always, we started small, carrying only the backpack with our water bottle, and we continued carrying our complete equipment. It must be said that not all pilgrims consider it necessary to spend too much time training in this way; some advise doing it for only a couple of days, just long enough to discover if there is something in particular that bothers us when walking with the backpack on our backs.
- If we live in flat areas, it is also worth looking for places with slopes and even stairs to walk, in order to get our legs used to the slopes that abound on our route.
- Finally, and once we are on the Camino, It is advisable to take the first stages calmly. The enthusiasm to finally begin our pilgrimage can lead us to force the march in the first days, something that we will almost certainly pay for later. The Camino is not a competition, and we must never forget that it is not about seeing who gets there first.
Naturally, if in our normal life we already lead an active lifestyle, the previous "program" is not so necessary: we will simply have to continue with the physical activity that we normally do, perhaps intensifying it in the weeks prior to the Camino. The important thing, in any case, is perseverance: going for a walk every day.
Finally, we must add that in all these activities, footwear is essential. Inadequate shoes can cause blisters and prevent us from walking comfortably. The issue of which footwear is the most appropriate, how to choose it, etc. It is very broad and would cover a complete book; on our blog we have mentioned the topic a few times in the past, in posts like these:
