Being trek ready

[Tans]

I am a very low to moderate level of fitness routine. Like going for a walk daily & doing some yoga. Trying some jogging but I run out of breath very soon. Can't run much. How can I build up n my fitness routine to be trek ready always? And the kind of foods (veg only) that will help?

[Raga]

Consistency & persistence to jog a tiny little bit longer everyday should be enough to build stamina over a month or two.  Avoid lift, climb stairs (2 at a time) & any weight reduction if required with the help of a good diet could be of some help. 

[Soudipan Maity]

For me, the one activity that has helped a lot is the C25k routine, a program designed to get just about anyone from the couch to running 5 kilometers or 30 minutes in less than 9-10 weeks. This time, last year, I was carrying quite a bit of lockdown weight. But, I had to get back to fitness for the Rupin Pass trek this year and following this routine helped. Maintaining a good running schedule, starting slow and including alternate running and walking phases builds the stamina really well. Try using a good breathing technique during your runs. For each individual, it could be different. For me the one that has worked is to - two inhalations, two exhalations, both with mouth.

Lastly, don't get disheartened if on certain days you don't feel good about your fitness, or you're getting out-of-breath faster than other days. Try and reflect on what went wrong and work on it the next day. Its all part of the process!

[Quasar]

I agree with @Soudipan Maity. The infamous proverb "It's a marathon, not a sprint" should be like your bible. You should graduate. 

One of things that I found beneficial, was, if you have nearby hills, try going for uphill walks. You can increase distance, pace and weights as you progress. This certainly helps tone the overall body, and build strength. 

[vidhu]

On 9/29/2022 at 5:13 PM, Tans said:

I am a very low to moderate level of fitness routine. Like going for a walk daily & doing some yoga. Trying some jogging but I run out of breath very soon. Can't run much. How can I build up n my fitness routine to be trek ready always? And the kind of foods (veg only) that will help?

Hello!

It's absolutely normal to feel out of breath when trying to do something beyond what you've always done. However that's the first rule of fitness, to get you better by bringing you out of your comfort zone first. Start a 5km with maybe 200m of run and cover rest of the distance with walking in the first week. Gradually increase 50m run each week until you are able to cover 500-600m running without much problem. At a certain point your lungs have built enough capacity to push beyond and cover a km over the course of 4-5 weeks. Make a note to cover minimum 5km(walking for most part). After maybe 8-10 weeks you'll be in a position to run 3km distance. Slowly increase frequency of your runs(from once a week to twice and then thrice). This will pave the way for a continuous 5km run.

Note that endurance is like a muscle that needs to be trained regularly to keep up. So make sure once you cover 5k run, you do it consistently at least once a week.

No problems if you're a vegetarian. Try to have whole home cooked foods. Consume fruits maybe prior to your run for energy. For protein, always add couple portions of dal, paneer, soya chunks, rajma etc. If you're overweight then find an estimate of your daily calories and eat below that(use healthify me app for tracking). 

[Ila]

Hi all. My knees were quite strained and paining on the 4 th day of my Beas kund trek. It was excruciating pain.  My toes too  were hurting badly. 
My next trek is kuari pass. 
planning to wear knee caps on the descent. Exercising more. 
Any suggestions please for knee pain reduction on descent ?

Also my trek shoe is a ‘right size’ and not a larger size. Someone said you should have a bigger size so your toenail doesn’t hurt on the descent day.  Any experiences here? 
Thanks in advance

ila  
 

 

 

[Nandana]

Hi Ila

I suggest you practice stair climbing as part of your preparation for the Kuari Pass trek. That will help your legs to prepare for ascent and descent.

But more than anything, I strong suggest you use 2 trek poles on the trek.  Using 2 trek poles will reduce the impact on your knees: Why Using Two Trekking Poles Is Essential On Himalayan Treks (indiahikes.com)

You heard right about the shoes being a size bigger than your regular shoes. It gives breathing space to your toes. On my first trek, I used the shoes that were my exact size and it hurt while descending. From the time I started to use a size bigger, I was able to trek very comfortably.

[Sinnu]

Very motivating to see these responses. I am first time jogger and running is yet to start.

I am practising for last 3 weeks  and I can now manage 5 km @10 minute per km. I am not able to go faster still. I am worried if I will ever reach 6min target. I have another 6 weeks to my treck

[Sneha Yadav]

On 10/9/2022 at 12:56 PM, Sinnu said:

Very motivating to see these responses. I am first time jogger and running is yet to start.

I am practising for last 3 weeks  and I can now manage 5 km @10 minute per km. I am not able to go faster still. I am worried if I will ever reach 6min target. I have another 6 weeks to my treck

Hi Sinnu! I think what's important right now is that you're consistent with your jogs & runs. Your speed will only improve once your heart starts getting conditioned to run that much of distance. So what's important is that you jog/run atleast 3-4 times in a week. When it comes to improving your speed what has worked for me is.. after every run I try to push myself and reduce my overall timing by say a minute.  Keep observing your runs & you'll get better with it eventually. All the best! 😄

[Sinnu]

On 10/11/2022 at 11:49 AM, Sneha Yadav said:

Hi Sinnu! I think what's important right now is that you're consistent with your jogs & runs. Your speed will only improve once your heart starts getting conditioned to run that much of distance. So what's important is that you jog/run atleast 3-4 times in a week. When it comes to improving your speed what has worked for me is.. after every run I try to push myself and reduce my overall timing by say a minute.  Keep observing your runs & you'll get better with it eventually. All the best! 😄

Thanks buddy

[Bharath]

 Hi Sinnu, jogging is the best form of Cardio-vascular exercise you can start with to prepare for your trek. And lot of people have already given you tips on how to do it.

In addition to that it is also important to do some strength training exercises to strengthen your muscles. Here are some of the videos you can watch that will help you with Strength training. Hope this helps 🙂

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLes811PfLJE7Im7aBwDSbBKnM2URMXEk_