What about your body?

Each body is different and yet, there are things that need to be looked at before the Camino. We all breath and we all carry our luggage along the way, literally and metaphorically and day after day, footstep after footstep the Camino is not only an adventure but a long endurance and best started with preparation. No matter your physical condition, the Camino will always provide what you need, when you need it, to arrive healthy and happy.

The most important part of your body to prepare are your feet. They are carrying you and your backpack a long way for many hours/days. Something they probably haven’t done before. Even though you will always find valuable advice on blisters and how to treat them, its better to have no blisters. Basically you want to have the skin of your feet supple and strong. A month before your Camino, firstly, remove all hard skin. Maybe a visit to the chiropodist. Then, we recommend a foot cream from Gehwohl; applied daily. Your skin will become soft, supple with strength to endure. Without doubt the right choice of footwear; shoes and socks is fundamental, yet the right care and preparation of your feet will help you to enjoy this unique journey fully.

We will go more in depth on the footwear in another section.

Regarding being fit, the Camino is so different to other (shorter) walks. The key is your overall endurance. It is the day after day of physical effort that you go through that you want to consider. So, we cannot stress enough the connection between body and mind when it comes to the daily endurance on the Camino, no matter if you walk 10 or 40 kilometres a day. And the most important suggestion: listen to your body. If you feel a pain that’s more than soreness say a tendon, walk shorter distances or take a rest day or two. Don’t let your mind say, “push through”. The connection of body and mind, to read and understand the bodies signals, is an important ability so as to carry your body through your Camino experience with as little physical stress as possible.

endurance: frequency, awareness, muscular effort,

carry the weight before, good backpack,

mental: getting familiar, endurance overall and daily

weather: remember how summer, winter autumn. feels