05 Aug Active travel for women in the Alps

We love watching the Olympics. They are the perfect inspiration for active travel for women in the Alps. Recently, experts have been publishing more and more about best ways for women at different ages to be active. And it is about time. I have also been doing my own research around what is best when it comes to active travel for women in the Alps.

On my trips I like to observe the differences between men and women. Active travel needs to be different for men and women, especially after a certain age. While I am not an expert, I have been involved in active travel in the Alps for over 30 years. I have noticed changes in myself, changes that I need to make to my training and my general being. I regularly ask myself, “how am I feeling?” in all of my sports, be it snowboarding, skiing or hiking.

Active travel for women and intensity

The first thing I have noticed is the intensity of the activity. We now know that after a certain age we need to focus on weight training or weight-bearing activities and pay attention to our nutrition and protein intake. And we need to balance all of this with avoiding injury. I find hiking is a good all-round activity for this, especially if we are climbing up and down and navigating obstacles on the route. We are getting a good workout without even realising it. What we need to be doing, however, is keeping that intensity low and regular. Too intense and long duration is doing more damage than good after 50.

Think nutrition

Women should be eating protein before a workout, so fasting before a hike is no good. We should be eating at least 30 grams of protein before starting our workout or our hike and no longer than 30 minutes after the workout as well. This applies to all active travel for women. Men are different. They can benefit from working out on an empty stomach and while it might feel ok for us, it is not a good habit to get into in our fifties.

At Swisskisafari, we tend to start our hiking days early, do most of our hike in the morning and then sit down for a good lunch at the end. So far our recipe is a good one. We add a note about hydration and sleep in here too. Women need to hydrate more and remember that with age, alcohol has more effect. That glass of wine can keep you awake at night which means you are not recuperating. So wine might better at lunch, after a good hike, and not in the evening when it will keep you from sleeping.

Training for your active travel in the Alps

Gym fit is not trail fit but more and more I find that focused training in the gym is useful. Doing interval and weight training with a professional can help to avoid injury. There is no replacement for knowing your body well and knowing when to stop.

I now keep my outside training for enjoyable hikes, long walks or gentle bike rides to soak up the scenery. After all, it is also about getting a solid dose of nature and fresh air. There is a lot to know when it comes to women’s fitness. For those interested, here are a few podcasts that I can recommend. Andrew Huberman hits on many different topics and Dr Stacy Sims is an exercise physiologist who shares buckets of practical insight.

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/huberman-lab/id1545953110?i=1000662955352

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/consummate-athlete-podcast/id1100471297?i=1000640227756

So if you are ready to get active and out in the fresh air, give us a call.

Warm Regards from the mountains,
Danielle