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What physical condition is needed for trekking in the Himalayas? And how do I prepare for the five month trip? 

In fact, I haven’t done much preparation so far. Well, more precisely, I did not do anything beyond the usual gymnastics. A bit of stretching in the morning, jogging two to three times a week, a little exercise with weights for your chest and back.

I began to increase the intensity of the workload only at the beginning of March, when it finally became clear that it would not be possible to obtain a visa for 7 months and the entire route had to be laid in 140 days.

A relaxed hike in the mountains has turned into a sporting event. On a typical day, I'll have to walk about 22 km with a backpack.

So, in March I began to slowly accelerate. Now I go jogging every day and by mid-March increased the standard jogging distance to 8 km. I also added to the "diet" walking up the stairs with a nineteen-kilogram backpack. Well, there is still stretches and some exercises with weights. In running and on the stairs, I try to maintain a pace at which the pulse does not go beyond 145 beats per minute.

Do you need more intense training? In my opinion, no. Of course, from experience, a person who can run a marathon will feel more comfortable in the mountains. But not enough more comfortable to try a full-fledged marathon training six months before the start for the sake of this comfort.

I try to prepare for the trip by adding sports in amounts that fit easily into the life of an office worker, especially when working remotely. This is about 1.5 hours of physical training a day. Due to the absence of the need to spend time traveling to the office, It was quite easy to find the necessary time.

Oh yes, since the beginning of March I have completely given up alcohol, I try to eat healthy food and take vitamins. It is said that it is advisable to add iron supplements to the diet closer to the start to increase hemoglobin levels. It really didn't work for me so far. By the way, your weight matters. I hope that I will be able to lose a few pounds before the start. But even if this does not happen, I think all unnecessary weight will go away in the first two weeks of the track.

As a result: in March I covered 350 kilometers. This is not enough pace to cope with 2000 kilometers in 140 days, but I didn't really strain. I think that in April I will have more distance behind my shoulders.

As a conclusion:

1. you definitely need to prepare. Especially if the route involves long dinstances or climbing to a high altitude. However, this does not imply excessive efforts, preparation fits well within the framework of ordinary physical activity.

2. preference - daily running or walking for at least 1 hour, but at a moderate pace, without trying to set records.

3. it would be better to give up alcohol and pay attention to proper nutrition and vitamins.

4. Pay attention to your own weight.

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