"Why I need to work on my physical fitness before I go for a trek?"

"Why I need to work on my physical fitness before I go for a trek?" which is a very common question asked by trekkers these days. Through this article I'll try to answer this common question and hope this will clear many doubts. Being in the outdoors is always adventurous & can be challenging for anyone & if someone is planning for a Trekking activity in mountains then fitness should be the main objective during preparation. There are many instances in the past which proves that a unfit trekker is more dangerous than bad weather in the mountains. I am going to highlight some reasons which supports this line"why should a trekker needs to work on his/her fitness before going for a trek"

High Altitude Zone- Most of the people are not aware what exactly High Altitude Zone is?. Any Altitude above 8000ft from sea level comes under high altitude zone where the air pressure is low as compare to the sea level and the oxygen molecules are more scattered in the atmosphere which results in less oxygen for a trekker at different altitude & most of the trekking routes are above this altitude and Insufficient oxygen level becomes problem for a unfit trekker because of breathlessness issue in high altitude zone which lead to more problems for the individual & for the team. Wherein. Chances of a fit trekker to adapt is more in any altitude & completing the trek.

High Altitude Sickness- Any trekker who is not physically fit is prone to High Altitude Sickness more in comparison to a fit trekker. Sickness occurs in High Altitude Zone known as High Altitude Sickness like AMS, HAPE, HACE and these sickness may sometimes lead to death as well. In order to avoid these sickness a good physical fitness is a must & that is why it is always recommended to work on the physical fitness before coming for a trek

Timing in mountains- Timing is everything in mountain & if an individual or a team is not on time in mountains there existence is in danger in mountains because a team can miss the summit of a mountain if they are not disciplined in the mountains because there might be some unfit trekkers in the team and sometimes even in the bad weather conditions having a unfit trekker in the team can become life threatening to anybody. On the other hand, A team of fit trekkers has more chances to complete & summit any peak on time.

Being in Preventive mode- It is always better to be in Preventive mode in mountains rather than in curative/survival mode. If a trekker comes under survival mode in mountains due to bad fitness level. The trekker will not be able to enjoy the trek and may end up leaving the trek in between as well, but on the other hand, A fit trekker will enjoy the trek more and can become a support for others as well in the group.

Got more time to Enjoy- A fit trekker always have the advantage to enjoy more on a trek as compare to a unfit trekker. A fit trekker can complete the daily trek in a specified time period and can invest his/her spare time in other activities once the day trek is over. Also a fit trekker will get enough time to rest during the trek & will have more time for photography,etc during the trek. A fit trekker can also enjoy camping time more instead of sleeping in the tents to regain the energy for the next day which is a very common problem with unfit trekkers during the trek.

These are some of the reasons which shows "why a trekker should work more on physical fitness before going for a trek?". In the coming days I will be sharing an article about "How can I improve my physical fitness before I go for a trek?"

For more stories & article do follow us on Tripoto & Facebook.

Tripoto link-
http://www.tripoto.com/profile/ankurpathak6423148?ref=mobwapp&source=awp

Facebook link-
https://www.facebook.com/ankurpthk1/

Live, Travel, Explore & Share.

Ankur Pathak
TraveltoExplore