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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Don’t Forget the Gold Bond!

If you’re going to Disney for the first time, be prepared to walk you butt off. I’ve heard that on average you walk about ten miles a day. For me it wasn’t a big problem. I like to hike a lot over some brutal terrain so ten flat miles was no problem. For people who don’t walk a lot this could be a serious problem.

Here are some tips that can be invaluable:

Gold Bond – your feet need it! It will help combat moisture that can lead to serious blisters and hot spots. Dry feet are happy feet. Gold Bond also needs to go somewhere else. If you’re a man or a woman the inside your legs can rub in a humid environment. Once that area is sore you’re going to be ugly. Don’t chance it make sure your happy bits are protected. If you don’t buy Gold Bond any of the medicated powders work. On my last trip I used Anti-Monkey Butt powder. I’m not kidding it’s a real product. It has a baboon on the front of it.

Take a break - If you feet are sore take a ten minute break. Just getting off of your feet for a few minutes can allow your feet to recover enough to go another few hours. Those ten minutes are not wasted. You’ll waste a lot more than ten minutes if you push it too far.

Advil – Advil reduces swelling. If your feet are starting to feel sore don’t wait until you think you need to take something, take it at the first sign. Keep in mind that Advil works because it’s a blood thinner. That could be very dangerous for some people. For everyone else it can be a vacation saver.

Take your time - There is no need to power walk all over the place. You and your feet will be happier if you just walk normally. Even if you make it onto one more ride by power walking all day what is the cost? How are you going to feel the next day?

Keep hydrated and eat something – Dehydration is one of the most miserable things you can go through. It will ruin your vacation. Do not wait until you are thirsty by that time if could be too late. A trip to the bathroom is better than a trip to first aide or the hospital. I am not kidding. Every year vacationers end up in the emergency room because of dehydration. Eating is also important. Nothing will sap your energy more than low blood sugar. If it’s hot eating becomes even more important. Why? I was hiking once in June. We were hiking across snow fields. Even so I was sweating a lot. I was drinking a lot too. It’s safe to say that I was keeping up with what I was sweating out. The problem was I wasn’t eating. I perspired all of the salt out of my body. When you do that it doesn’t matter how much you drink. Your body cannot retain the liquid and you just pee it out. I was dehydrating even though I was drinking. I had to stop and eat ASAP to get some salt back in my system. In the summer, in Florida, you could easily do the same thing.

Wear sneakers – This might sound funny but there are people out there that want to wear something more fashionable. Those people are called idiots. I don’t care who you are, walking ten miles in heals or shoes that were not designed for it is a dumb idea. Don’t wear brand new sneakers either. If you buy new ones make sure you break them in first.

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