“Will I lose much weight on the Camino?” Really, I get mails like this all the time. I find it amazing that people will want to walk the Camino just to lose weight. Now it is something that does happen to almost everyone – one of the little side benefits of every day exercise. But setting out to walk 780km, well…
The first time I walked the Camino I was over weight and recovering from my first year of Ulcerative Colitis – now that was not fun. I lost about 8kg over the four week period, and it stayed off, that was the interesting part. However after walking the Camino I started walking on a more regular basis, hill walking in Austria, Czech Republic, Scotland, and Ireland.
But back to loosing weight on the Camino. I walked everyday, about 25km per day and ate whatever I wanted – ice cream at least once a day, my favourite. But really you don’t need to travel to Spain, live in hostels, carry your rucksack, have only one change of clothes, wash your clothes by hand each night, go on a pilgrimage, and develope unbearable blisters – why not just go walking at home?
I think I know why. The discipline is not there, life is there. Resolve is not there. And perhaps worst of all the fridge is just to handy with the big comfortable couch and television.
Resolve – it is a fairly old fashioned word now. Not one that many people want to consider, or use much. Let’s try something else instead, they think.
Well if walking the Camino is what it takes, go do it. I am not a pilgrimage perfectionist or snob. I have no real cares what sets someone down the Camino, I went first for an adventure holiday – however the Camino grabbed me, and I went back, I discovered more than adventure…
So if you want to lose you 5 or 10kg’s in four weeks and you think this is a good idea – just do it.
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