Reflections on Body, Mind & Spirit: Walking the Camino - the Physical Experience
- Lisa Schaffer
- Jun 4
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 5
My May Reflection
Having completed a 70 mile+ pilgrimage walk in northwestern Spain, I’m smiling and nodding my head as I read my previous newsletter headline - Walking with Intention, Exercise for Resilience, Letting Go…
If anything could describe my resent experience, it would include those themes. To share my pilgrimage experience, I’m going to devote a whole newsletter to Body, the next newsletter will be about Mind, and lastly, about Spirit. There is just too much goodness to capture to try to fit into one newsletter.
Additionally, my friends whom I journeyed with will also be writing about their experience and I’m looking forward to sharing that with you here in the GreenNote Fitness newsletter.
Let’s get to it! I’m hopeful that you will enjoy and gain inspiration from what we will share about the pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago - the Way of St. James.
Body
The Camino Pilgrimage
If you have been following GNF for a while or at least the past few months, you may recall that I’ve spent much time discussing all the walking I’ve been doing as part of my exercise and eventually to training to walk the Camino in Spain. There are many routes a pilgrim can take along the Camino with the end point being in Santiago Spain, at the cathedral Santiago de Compostela - the cathedral of St. James for which this pilgrimage exists.
The Route and Gear
Our route was close to 76 miles traveled over seven days, each of us carrying our backpacks which was everything we took with us for the 10 day trip in total. Weighing my backpack at the airport sans water and food, my pack was 16 pounds. This may not sound like a lot and if so, I politely beg to differ and suggest you throw 16 pounds on your back and walk for four to six hours for seven consecutive days and get back to me…:)
The Terrain and Weather
The path we followed was well-marked, sometimes paved but mostly dirt and rocks. There were some steep climbs and descends through beautiful countrysides. The weather was really nice - cool in the morning and warming up during the day. We hit one day of light mist but overall we met good fortune with the elements. This is important for spending a week in nature.
Shoes and Socks and Walking Sticks
I was very pleased with my shoe and sock selection. I wore a pair of Altra weather-proof trail shoes and two pairs of socks. The first layer being “toe-socks” where each toe gets there own part of the sock - so very helpful for the toes not to rub together which potentially would create hot spots and thus blisters. The second pair was a Merino wool blend. The brand I used was Wide Open. The terrain we covered was wet at times; the area had received 30 days of rain prior to our arrival. The shoes were perfect for the areas of mud and wet and additionally where there were uneven surfaces, rocks dirt, etc. This was a win-win and not to be underestimated as to how I felt upon the Camino. Half way through our journey, I purchased a pair of hiking sticks. These really helped to off-load some of the weight in my pack and help with balance and climbing up steep hills.
Hydration
Staying well-hydrated is very important for everyone every day. For this journey, my packets containing magnesium, potassium, and sodium mixed in my water were so very helpful. The brand I use and trust is LMNT. Having this combination can help one to power through a tough climb or an extremely warm day on the golf course.
Training - Preparation for the Camino
As you may have read in previous GNF newsletters, I have been doing a lot of walking this year. This started prior to my knowledge that I would be journeying along the Camino. Once I knew I would be doing the pilgrimage, I immediately started training with that in mind. Namely this meant increasing distance, wearing a weighted-vest and then backpack, and duration. Also, I would sprinkle in walking on a stair mill with the additional weight and walking backwards on turf pulling a sled. My minimum distance per day was three and a quarter miles. For endurance, I just paid more attention to time spent with a weight on my back, getting over two hours at a time. The stair mill really helped with cardio and made the steep inclines we walked seem just like a workout at the gym.
Overall I found my physical training preparation to fit nicely with what the Camino presented us with.
Physical Results
I had some interesting physical changes. I did a pre-trip and post-trip weigh-in. With hours of walking each day donning an additional 16-pound weight on my back, averaging 10 or so miles per day, I lost a whopping one and a half pounds! Additionally my clothes were just hanging on me.
During the journey I attributed that to wearing the same two sets of clothing for 10 days; maybe I just stretched them out. Alas, no, I lost inches. I wasn’t expecting that (partly because I may have lacked awareness to how large my legs and glutes actually were…).
So what happened?
One possible scenario is that while losing fat, I was also maintaining or increasing muscle mass. I certainly did not go hungry. We would start out each morning and hit the trail without anything to eat. Then, around mile 3 or 4, depending on how we were feeling, we would stop at a wonderful, quaint cafe, often in the middle of the vast countryside, and order a cafe con leche and chocolate croissant (ok, sometimes two croissant…and maybe a cheesecake…).
I wasn’t concerned with having those carbs at this time of day because I knew with all the walking ahead for the day (and those miles covered without any calories) that I would burn through them. Also, I made sure to get plenty of protein for dinner - a special treat was eating Galician beef from Rubio Gallega (blond cows) - so tasty! And considered the best tasting beef in the world. I also partook in eating the Iberian pork.
Challenge for you
One needn’t travel to Spain (although you totally should!) to enjoy a walking in the great outdoors. Walking is great for so many reasons and if you are wanting to lose weight and/or strengthen your muscles, try a weighted-vest or backpack. Start light at first and build up endurance.
Walking Challenge
Set a goal of walking a set number of miles in three months. Let’s say, 100 miles in three months - quick math would say that’s just a little over a mile a day. The key is to stay consistent.
Quotes I”m pondering
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Hard things don’t get easier, you get stronger. You grow. You change. You become different. And if you show up for long enough, somewhere along the way, you fall in love with the struggle. You find peace in chaos. True flow. That is the magic of life”. - James Clear
To your reflection and health,
Lisa Schaffer
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See my last newsletter Body, Mind & Spirit…
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