Good morning ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

Extra.

Extra.

Read all about it.

It's a beautiful day on Main street, usa.

Good morning.

Good morning.

Can you feel it?

I'd say there's something magical in the air, wouldn't you?

I am Warden Wilson Mutua and I.

Am happy to welcome you to Harambe Wildlife Reserve.

Just make believe you're a tiny little.

See.

A tiny little seat that's reaching up to meet your needs.

Now you've got it.

Wow.

Wow.

Wow.

W Radio, your information station.

We've all had those days in the Disney parks where the excitement is high.

But our feet, our legs and maybe even our backs say something very different.

And if you've ever felt worn out way too early in the day or just wished you had a little bit more energy to enjoy those late night moments, this episode is for you.

Because I'm joined by Dr. Steven Khabibi to talk about some practical tips to help you feel better all day at Walt Disney World.

These are not.

It's me.

These are not intense workouts or complicated plans.

They are some simple everyday habits that you, everybody in your family can use to before and during your trip to help you feel more comfortable, move with more ease and honestly enjoy more of the magic.

So whether you're planning your first trip or your 50th, let's talk about how you can feel your best from morning to night in the most magical place on earth.

Hello my friend and welcome to WW Radio, your guide to Disney parks and experiences around the world.

I am Lou Mungello and this is show number 848.

And whether it's your first time listening or you've been with me since the very beginning 20 years ago.

Welcome back and welcome home.

Before we get started, please don't forget to be part of the community and conversation over in the Clubhouse over@wwradio.com clubhouse.

Connect with me on social I'm at Lumangelo on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Join me this and every Wednesday night at 7:30pm Eastern on Facebook and YouTube for WWRADO Live.

And to make sure you don't miss a thing, please subscribe to my free weekly email newsletter and Updates over@wwradio.com Newsletter and when you do, I will send you a free gift and make sure you head over to my instagram over at instagram.com/lumangello this week because I have a huge huge Disney Destiny prize package giveaway.

And when you're ready to book your vacation on the Disney Destiny or to Walt Disney World.

And after this week's show, I promise you're going to feel better.

When you do, please go and visit my friends over@m MouseFanTravel.com they have completely free expert planning from the team and people that I have relied on not just for my family vacations, but who I trust for yours as well for more than 18 years.

Visit them over@mousefantravel.com and if you like the show, and I hope that you do, please rate, review and more importantly, please help spread the word and share it with a friend.

So sit back, relax and enjoy this week's episode of the WWE Radio show.

Every Disney fan knows the feeling, the sore feet, the tired back, the pure feeling of absolute exhaustion.

And it's halfway through what is supposed to be like the magical day in the parks and the long days and sometimes long vacations that end with the thought I need a vacation from my vacation to Disney World.

That is not the way you're supposed to feel.

And hopefully we're going to try and find a way to help you not for again, because this week I am joined by my friend, fellow lifelong Disney Parks fan and Momentum weekend workshop attendee, Dr. Steven Gabiby.

He is a physical therapist and the author of Disney Ready, you, Pain Free Parks Survival Guide.

It is a book not just about walking more, but about walking smarter.

Stephen, welcome to the show.

Lew, thank you so much for having me.

It's a really big pleasure to be here.

I have a feeling if I could go back in time, especially to when I would go with my very young children and say why couldn't book have been here earlier?

You probably would have saved me a lot of not just a lot of stress, but a lot of recovery time.

So I want to talk about some of the science and the strategies and I think some of the stories even too about feeling your best.

I think before, sometimes I don't think about it before, during and after your Disney vacation.

So you could really make the most of every moment.

It should not be the Epcot death march.

It should be this magical time where you're smiling as much as you possibly, possibly can, even if it's 11 o' clock at night on July 4th in Magic Kingdom.

But Azul, I want to talk about, as you do in your book, how to prepare your body for Disney, preventing the pain, which we all know, especially as we get older before it starts, and how to make sure that you have the energy to enjoy every magical moment.

And you know probably that my favorite question is why.

And yours, too.

We're going to get to that in terms of what you talk about, in terms of finding your personal why.

So before we get into the why of the book, let's talk about why you.

Like, why are you.

Because you're not just a fan who loves going to the parks.

It's about the science and the school behind this.

Yeah.

So, you know, I've always been some sort of athlete my entire life.

I took up running in middle school and high school, and then I took up road bicycling, and after that.

And I've always tried to keep myself fit.

So I've always had this love for body movement, body mechanics, and that's what eventually led me to going to physical therapy school, getting my doctorate in physical therapy.

And, you know, that.

That eventually led me to combining my love of physical therapy with my love of the Disney parks.

Now, the thing is, you know, with.

I'm coming from California, I moved in from California, so I grew up going to Disneyland, or I spent a lot of my life going to Disneyland and Disney's California advent, which is a completely different beast compared to Walt Disney World.

Right.

As we know.

And my first.

My first trip to Walt Disney World was actually as an adult not too long ago.

And I went with my family.

We went for, I think it was like four or five days.

And by the end of that third day, I was just.

I was pooped.

I was done.

You know, my.

My back was starting to hurt, my feet were aching.

I was fatigued.

It was hard to stay awake on Carousel of Progress, which, honestly is one of my favorite attractions, like, ever.

It is.

It should not be where you go to take a nap.

You should be going, right?

Absolutely.

So, you know, coming back from that first trip, I was like, there's no way.

Like, there's no way that can happen again to me because I just.

I want to enjoy the Disney magic without having to worry about that, am I going to get fatigued at the end of the day?

Is my back going to make it towards the end of the trip?

You know, and then it was during that time I was going to get my doctorate, and I learned a lot more about body mechanics, which I also really love, which I mentioned earlier.

But then I started to combine those two together, and I realized, hey, you know, the more I go to Disney, the more I can experiment with ways to move, Move with less effort, move a lot easier, but also move with less pain.

And I. I took all of everything I learned, and I thought, hey, look, no one needs to go through Disney in pain.

So let's, come on, let's, let's share this information, let's share the wealth.

So that's what brings me today.

Right?

And you're coming from somebody who is, as you said, you are a self admitted athlete.

This may come as a shock to you.

Not everybody who goes to Disney is in that same, I'm pointing to myself, that same type of prime physical condition.

And you know, there's, we all have different backgrounds, different body shapes and masses and sometimes we're carrying a variety of different things.

Not just, I was gonna say a little fanny pack, but nobody carries fanny.

Packs anymore, but crossbody bag, you know.

I can't even do that.

You know, it's funny because you, in the book, you talk about it like seriously, you compare the Disney park days to endurance events and they really kind of are.

I think people don't realize, especially here in Walt Disney World.

And this number might even be somewhat outdated.

It might even be more.

Now I remember the stat from my trivia book days that the average Walt Disney World guest walks nine miles on a day.

And that's a lot like you're putting a lot on your body in an average day.

Because I have a feeling other than maybe you, not everybody is walking.

I speak for myself.

I am not walking nine miles a day.

Yeah, it's kind of crazy when you think about it.

And you're absolutely right.

I think the numbers right now can equate to something between 15 and 25,000 steps a day.

And if you were to take a poll of people on Facebook, I mean, some people will say they've walked, you know, over 30,000 steps in a day.

And you can't forget that the, the Run Disney race season at Walt Disney World had just started a couple weeks ago.

There are people that run the half marathon and then, you know, they go to Dopey and they run the entire marathon and then they spend the rest of the day at the parks until park close.

They're getting like 50,000 steps, Lou.

So it's crazy how much you walk without thinking it.

But like Disney does that.

They, they get you caught in the magic and it's amazing.

But at the same time, at the end of the day, you start to feel it.

If you're not ready.

Now, I will say just because you're an athlete and just because you have that background doesn't necessarily mean your body's really adapted to being able to walk all day.

Like I said earlier, you know, my first trip to Disney World I wasn't immune to how I felt at the end of the day.

Right.

And just because I. I'm used to running, you know, 15, 20 miles a week doesn't necessarily mean my body's also adapted to walking and standing that much, you know, eight to 12 hours a day.

It's a whole different ball game.

So that just points to how much more important it is to find ways to physically prep for your Disney World trip, but also have strategies to save that energy, recover.

Right?

Which I think is what we sort of think about closing the barn door after all the horses have left.

We don't think about what to do beforehand because, look, people who do run Disney and endurance events, they train for them, right?

But nobody really trains for.

And I sort of almost sort of hate to use that word because I think it might throw some people off or sort of scare somebody.

But you don't train to go to a Disney park, which I think is a unique experience in terms of just how much walking we do.

And walking we do with backpacks and strollers and souvenirs and diaper bags and kids in our arm, like, it is a legit workout that sometimes we are not forget mentally.

We'll talk about mentally, too, but not physically prepared for.

So, like, talk to me a little bit about this idea of starting to prepare for it and how can we realistically do it and when do we need.

Look, we're all very busy, right?

And the last thing we need to do is like, all right, kids, listen, dad needs to go upstairs.

We need to start working out for our trip to Disney World.

Like, how do we realistically prepare?

And then when should we start doing it?

Yeah, that's a really good question, and that's a very popular question to ask.

So I'm gonna start first by saying one, every human body.

It doesn't matter, you know, what age you are, what build you are, Every human body has the amazing ability to adapt to whatever stress that you put upon it.

And when I say stress, I mean it could be physical stress, it could be emotional stress, mental stress, psychological stress.

I'm talking about physical stress, mainly, right?

Your body is able to go through a certain amount of stress, whether it be walking or standing, adapt to it, and then get better and recover and then get stronger.

And then ideally.

And the concept is, for example, if you walk 5,000 steps in a day, and then you allow your body to recover and adapt, you go to sleep that night and you do it again the next day, and then you go to sleep that night and you do it again the next day and kind of rinse and repeat.

In a week or two, your body is going to walk, be able to walk 5,000 steps and feel a lot better afterwards compared to if you were to first walk 5,000 steps and maybe feel a little bit of soreness in your feet.

So your body, as long as, one, you give it the right amount of stress, and two, you give it enough time to recover, that's what allows your body to adapt and get better so that you can walk those 15, 20, 25,000 steps.

Now, given the fact that your body is so amazing at adapting, right?

You first.

When you're trying to plan how to physically prep your body for Disney World, you need to determine your baseline, whatever your baseline is.

And your baseline is really easy to figure out, especially if you've got a smartphone and you keep it on you, or if you've got a smartwatch and it's on you all the time.

Because really, all you need to do is track your walking steps per day, right?

So take whatever your instrument is, whether it's your phone or your watch, track your steps over the over the course of seven days, take that running average and then of course, divided by seven.

That way you get a more accurate measurement of what your daily step count is.

And that's going to be your baseline to start.

And from there, you're going to start increasing the amount of steps.

I go through this in my book, but I like to increase the amount of steps per day over the course of a week.

So, for example, if your starting step count, our starting average step count is about 5,000 steps a day.

Your goal is to hit 5,000 steps every other day of the week and then see how you feel at the end of the day and the next day of each day that you're walking, right?

So you're walking 5,000 steps on a Monday.

You're not walking as much on a Tuesday.

That way you can allow your body to recover.

You're seeing how your body reacts and how your body feels.

And then theoretically, if you're feeling good, you're not feeling sore or you're not feeling any pain, on Wednesday, you'll walk another 5,000 steps.

You'll do that again until you get to the end of the week, again, reassessing how you're feeling.

If you're feeling pretty good by the end of the week, you're not feeling any pain or soreness by that, by the next week, you up your number of steps.

Okay?

That's, that's how you Progress your.

Your daily step count, and eventually over time, you'll get to, you know, 10,000, 12,000 steps, whatever that goal is.

And of course, you're going to have to make sure that you make that goal before you start your planning, before you start your physical preparation.

Now, if we're planning from a goal step count, say, for example, your goal step count is maybe 10 or 12,000 steps.

You can kind of do the math.

You can kind of do some backwards math and figure out how long it's going to take for you to start.

If your starting step count is on the lower side, you're probably going to need more time to prepare.

You might need maybe like two or three months to prepare.

If your starting step count is already eight or nine thousand steps a day, for example, you might not need that much time to prepare until your next Disney trip.

You might need like a month, maybe even less.

Right.

It all depends on where you're starting.

So those are the kinds of things to think about.

I outline it all in my book, but that's where you start, and then that's how you kind of build upon that and.

Right.

And I like the fact that you have these walking plans as opposed to just, well, just get more steps in every single day.

Because we're all coming at different physical fitness or physical.

My case, physical.

This might come as a shock to you, Steve, and this is not the body of an athlete.

If you can't be an athlete, be an athletic supporter.

The line from Greece.

Right.

But sometimes I think it's even more than that.

And, you know, you also don't want to overwhelm people with, well, you need to sort of day and work every day, because what are like three, you know, two or three very quick things people can do today to start sort of getting themselves Disney ready.

And again, the goal is not for.

The goal really is so that you have a better time while you're there and your recovery time after is not like, dad needs a couple of days just to, like, lay on the couch and recover from the Disney trip.

Because it's not, you know, the way you want to feel, especially if you come back on a Sunday night and you're back to work on Monday morning.

So, like, two or three quick things people can start doing at home to start getting ready for their trip.

Yeah, totally.

So the first thing for sure is to make a plan.

Make a goal, make a plan.

Right.

If.

If you don't have a plan, then you don't have clarity of where exactly you're going to be going to be able to prepare, right?

The second thing is to have some sort of accountability buddy.

A our good friend Sean from but mostly Disney.

He we just did a podcast together and he straight up told me, like, he didn't tell me beforehand.

He told me straight up, hey, for my next Disney trip, I'm going to be posting every single day while I'm going on my walk with my dog, I'm going to post a picture and tag you on Facebook just so that I'm going to be his accountability buddy.

To have someone like that.

And Lou, I mean, you gave, you gave us at Momentum the task of finding our accountability buddies because we both know how important it is to keep each other accountable.

That way you can achieve your goals, right?

So second step, find accountability buddy.

The third, I would say, is to work on your daily habits, because your daily habits help define how you approach your entire Disney trip.

So, for example, in terms of my daily habits, I like to have a very specific morning routine and a very specific evening routine.

And this comes really handy especially when you're on vacation, not just at Disney World, but really anywhere you're going.

If you've found your daily habits, made them automatically, then one, you have full control of how you start and end your day, right?

If you have full control, you feel a lot less stressed.

You have a lot, you think a lot less about what you're going to be doing in those mornings and evenings, which gives you a lot more mental capacity and mental space to figure out everything else about your vacation.

You get to focus way more on how you can soak in the magic, how you can plan everything.

It just makes things a lot easier.

And then two, of course, you know, having a good time morning and evening routine sets you up for success altogether.

It gives you more energy because theoretically you'll get a lot better sleep.

So a lot less stress overall.

It sets you up for your next day because you'll have a lot better sleep.

It'll make you feel a lot more productive in the mornings because it'll put you in the right mindset to start your day.

And really it just boosts your overall energies and energy levels.

So those are the three things.

Daily habits, accountability buddy, and then make a plan.

Yeah, and I want to be clear because when we talk about sort of preparing for your trip or almost sort of training for your trip, I don't want anybody to get the vision of the mental picture of being at the gym, on a treadmill with a 17 degree incline, with a backpack, a diaper bag, And a baby Bjorn with weight in it, literally feeling like they have to train for this.

But you also said something that I think is really important, too, which is, again, we talked earlier about the why.

Right.

You talk about in the book your personal why.

And I think one of the things that is such a big part of this is not necessarily the physical part, but the mental part.

Why is mindset as important as muscle when it comes to preparing for and enjoying your Disney vacation?

Yeah.

In short, I mean, mindset is really what drives you.

Right.

Mindset and having that, having your own why allows you to, you know, prepare day in and day out and be consistent and keep showing up, even though you might not feel like showing up.

You know, motivation doesn't always.

You don't always feel the motivation every day you wake up.

But as long as you know your why and you keep repeating your why, that's the reason why you'll keep getting up and doing the thing.

Let's talk about when you're.

We're actually at the parks, and, you know, it's.

I find sometimes that my motivation and my why and my soreness and tiredness differs.

Like, I can, you know, I walk at a very fast pace.

It's the jersey in me.

People like, you have such little legs.

How do you walk so fast?

I'm like, it's easy.

I'm walking to the boathouse.

Of course I'm gonna walk fast.

Whereas at the end of the night, there is that.

Let's take a break.

Why don't we just sit here for a minute and just take, like.

I'm starting to say the things that my dad used to say when he got to my.

What are some of the best sort of quick tips you can give to people, like, when they're in the parks, when it's, you know, do we push on?

Do we slow down?

How do I deal with, you know, soreness and maybe even two distinguishing between, well, I'm just a little tired or wait a minute, like, I'm in sort of real pain here.

Whether it's my knees, my ankles, my hips, my feet, whatever it is.

Yeah.

So there's a.

There's a big difference between, you know, a little bit of fatigue or some muscle soreness and some actual joint pain that's really crippling.

That feels crippling.

Right.

Muscle soreness usually is over that meaty portion of your body.

So, for example, the front of your thigh or your calf.

Right.

Versus some sort of sharp joint pain, which is specifically more at a bony region where.

Where you get your joints are.

Now, if you're feeling some soreness, that's generally okay to walk through, depending on how much soreness you feel.

In my book, I talk about something called the light system, which is a really great way, a really great system to use to help listen to your body.

That way you know when to slow down, when to keep going, or when to maybe take even a longer rest break or a rest day.

Right.

Green light generally means you're feeling good, you're not feeling any soreness, you're not feeling any, like, fatigue.

That tells you, okay, we can keep going.

Or you wake up and you feel the green light.

Okay, we can, we can walk a lot more today.

I'm feeling good.

Let's go.

Yellow light.

Okay, you wake up the next morning after a day at Disney, and you're feeling some soreness over some muscles, maybe over the front of your thigh, and maybe that soreness will go away after warming up, doing a little bit of stretching, that tells you, okay, you can keep going for the day, but maybe you should take a few rest breaks throughout the day.

You know, walk a couple hours and take a rest break at the bench by World Showcase Lagoon or something and, you know, do some people watching and then if you're in the red light.

So after a day of walking at Disney, you wake up and you've just got this unrelenting either muscle soreness that just it's difficult to take a few steps in the morning, or if you've got that sharp joint pain that's just really stopping you from walking more than a few minutes or maybe even more than like 20 or 30 minutes.

Okay, that tells you, hey, we should probably think about taking a longer rest.

Take more and longer rest breaks throughout the day, or even take an entire day off from the parks and just, you know, spend some time at the pool.

Now, that being said, with the light system, knowing how to utilize it also brings up the importance of practicing the light system long beforehand.

So that's all part of the preparation process as well, which you can totally intertwine with a walking program.

Using that light system when you're using your walking program allows you to listen to your body while you're walking, after you're walking the day after.

That way you can make those quick decisions on the fly without having to really think deeply about it.

And again, as I said earlier, clear up some mental space and some mental capacity so you can keep going with your day.

So I want to talk about some of the common mistakes.

I think that people might make when they're at Disney, whether it's trying to push through, whether it's not.

And I think one of the things that stood out to me from the book is you talk about dehydration being one of the sort of the most common mistakes at Disney.

Look, and it's hotter, longer here in Orlando.

I think it's easy, but it's so, I think, easy to overlook, like the sense of being dehydrated.

So talk about sort of like your advice for staying hydrated.

What are some of the maybe overlooked hydration trips?

And how do you, what do you sort of recommend?

Not just drinking, but maybe even eating throughout the day to make sure you are hydrated and you are best sort of physically prepared to, you know, endure the 19,000 steps.

Yeah.

So typically on any given day, not just a day at Disney, it's recommended, or I like to at least tell my patients to drink the equivalent of ounces in water that is half your body weight.

That is to say, if you're, if you weigh, you know, about 150 pounds, you want to drink about 75 ounces of water within the day.

Right.

And that sounds like a lot.

That sounds like a lot.

But if you're at Disney World where you're walking and you're expending energy and you need that water to help keep you cool during the summer and, and you're in the sun, which also tends to dehydrate you, you're going to need a lot more water than that too.

Right.

Your body really needs energy in food.

And then also it needs to stay hydrated.

That way you keep your own energy levels up all day.

And we all know how it feels when you are dehydrated and you reach the end of the day and you're just like, I'm kind of seeing double now.

You know, those are, those are the worst, let me tell you.

But so on a typical day, half your body weight in ounces.

At Disney, when you do the calculations, it differs between men and women.

But generally, men need to drink at least 150 ounces of water within the day.

Women, about 100 ounces of water in the day.

And again, like any other given day where you drink half your body weight in ounces, it sounds like a lot.

It really sounds like a lot.

But a lot of that water can come from what you eat as well.

And Disney does a great job in providing a lot of food that has a lot of water in it.

So, for example, you'll get a lot of Water from things like fruit.

So watermelon is a really good example.

Or vegetable like cucumber, tomatoes are the ones that I'm thinking of off the bat that are at Disney.

Honestly, a myth that that often gets tossed up is coffee tends to dehydrate you.

But actually coffee is a really good way to stay hydrated as long as you limit the amount of sugar cream that you put in that coffee.

The more sugary your drink is, the more likely you are to get dehydrated.

So that means like things like soda and those mixed cocktails that tend to be on the sweeter side at Disney 10 will dehydrate you more than other.

Drinks, but which doesn't mean drink more cocktails.

Just to be like.

Just to be clear.

Exactly.

Just to be clear.

But that means coffee, tea, those drinks are like 99% water.

Those are really, really easy ways to get more water into the day.

And we know how long the line gets at Starbucks and Joffrey's every day that we walk into the parks.

So really easy ways to get some water through food, through coffee, through tea.

Also, I have a map on my website, fitforthemagic.com wdwater it is a map of all the water refill stations throughout the four parks and Disney Springs.

It's really easy to pull up on your phone and just go through and find whatever water station you need to.

That combined with a 12 ounce reusable water bottle and you're set.

I say 12 ounces because anything bigger than that just feels like a drag to wear or to put into your b.

It's like you're bringing your weights with, right?

You're ringing your weights with you and carrying them on your back.

Exactly.

As long as you know where the water refill stations are, you've got a small water bottle, you'll be good to go.

Right.

Again, planning is key and I think.

That'S one of the things that Disney has really done well over the past few years is installing so many of those water refill stations.

And look, don't forget too that any counter service restaurant you could walk up to and get an iced water.

You know, again, keeping your body cool, but also making sure that you stay hydrated as well.

There's something else in your book too that I'm really happy that you talked about as somebody who, especially as I started to get older, have started to notice more and more issues.

It's not just about the weight that we're carrying on our bodies and how much we're walking in the oppressive heat.

But it's also about making sure that you wear the right things when you go to it.

I'm not talking about your Mickey Mouse teacher.

I'm talking about shoes.

And I think, and look, man, I go to the parks and you can talk to this.

I go to the parks and I see people in like their Walmart $99 super thin flip flops.

I'm like, my God, woman, how are you possibly walking through the parks?

Talk about the importance of shoes and the difference between walking shoes and running shoes.

And you know, are wearing flip flops, like is it good for you to wear that in the parks line?

You know, I've.

Some people heard, some people say, well no, you can't wear those because they're too soft or they're too cushioned.

Like how do you go about making sure you pick the right shoes?

And is Crocs just the answer?

Is Crocs just the answer?

A lot of people will say crocs are the answer.

Now the short answer is wear what's most comfortable to you.

Right?

Wear what's most comfortable to you.

When I was talking with Sean from but mostly Disney the other night, he told me he wears flip flops all the time.

He wears flip flops every day.

He, he go, he wears flip flops when going to the store.

He wears flip flops at Disney all the time and he feels completely fine.

Now that works for him because he's been wearing flip flops for I don't know how long, but he's gotten to the point where, like I said earlier, your body is amazing at adapting to stressors.

It's gotten to the point where his body has adapted to wearing those flip flops to where he can just wear it all day and feel completely fine.

Right.

Wear what's most comfortable to you.

Now in terms of shoe choice, running shoes versus walking shoes, really it doesn't matter what you choose.

There are differences between them because the way the body moves in walking and the way the body moves in running are very different.

And shoe companies make their shoes so that they make your walking or running mechanics more efficient.

So since the running and walking mechanics are different, the shoes for running and walking are going to be different to fit those types of mechanics, right?

So for example, a walking shoe won't have as much of a rocker bottom as a running shoe.

Because when a running shoe you are going to be propelling yourself a lot more often.

Your, your calf is going to have to work a lot more to push yourself forward.

Right?

So the running Shoe is designed to help do that easier.

So things like that.

Running shoes tend to be more resilient in terms of how much stress you put on the shoe itself because you're pounding the pavement all the time for God knows how many miles versus walking shoes.

Theoretically not as much.

Right.

But in the end, honestly, it doesn't really matter as long as it's comfortable to you.

Now would I, I suggest that you get a carbon plated racing running shoe to use at the Disney parks?

No, I don't think I would because those are designed specifically for racing.

And besides, those are like, those cost an arm and a leg.

Right.

Would I suggest maybe getting, you know, a nice pair of Asics running shoes that you know, don't, that are, that don't break the bank?

Yeah, actually that's what I tend to use when I go to the parks.

And generally when choosing shoes, there are some general rules to follow in terms of fit.

So those 10, those are, you need room for your feet to wiggle.

So the, the toe box or the front part of the shoe needs to be wide enough for that so your, your toes can wiggle.

You need it to be wide enough at the middle of your foot so that it doesn't feel too constricting.

The back part of the shoe at the heel needs to be nice and cushioned around your heel to where it's snug but not too, not too loose.

You need to make sure that that shoe, it hugs your foot but not isn't too big to where your ankles roll back and forth all the time.

And then the last thing to think about in terms of fit for your shoe is you need around a thumb's width between the front of your toe and the inside of the tip of the shoe.

Okay.

Generally those are the rules.

I look, I look for when I'm finding my pair of shoes that's more comfy.

And then on top of that, when you, once you find a pair of shoes, and I really, I highly suggest that you go to a specialized like shoe store.

It might be a specialized running store, that's totally fine.

But if you go to one of those specialized shoe stores, there'll be a sales rep out there that knows a lot more about the shoes that they sell compared to if you go to like a sports basement or you know, another big name sporting goods store.

And that way they can help you choose the right shoes for you.

Make sure that you're trying on as many shoes as possible walking in them in the sho.

In the store.

And then once you find the right pair of shoes that you think works for you, make sure to break them in.

Please spend at least a week or so, or maybe two to break them in.

The last thing you want is to find a pair of shoes that you think really works for you or looks really cute on your feet, only to walk at Disney and then have blisters at the end of the day.

Yeah.

And I know some shoes like, some stores like Fit to Run in Disney Springs have some of those devices where they'll help you and you can you stand on it and it sort of takes almost like a 3D image of your foot and they'll able to, they're better able to help recommend what shoe, what brand, what type of shoe, or even what insole might be better for you, especially if you have things like knee pain or ankle pain or plantar fasciitis.

Yeah, those are, those are great tools to utilize for sure.

And then if, if you combine those tools with the rules I said earlier, you're more than likely to find the right pair of shoes for you.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

One of the things I like in the book too, Steven, it's not.

You don't just sort of tell people what to do, you show people what to do.

Like there's a ton of color photos.

And one of the things that you talk about in there too is even some of the things, the little stretches and sort of little routines you can do before you go.

And even while you're there, like in the park, like if you are taking a break.

Cause yes, it's not just about all the miles that you are spending and walking from place to place, but even just as you're standing in line or taking a break, I like the fact that you have some of these little things that people can sort of keep in the back of your mind or even what I love about the book is that it's literally pocket size.

You can bring it with you to the park.

So if you are starting to feel something, say, hey, what is that stretch I need to do?

Because I'm starting to feel tightness in my calves.

Yeah, that's exactly why I made the book the way it is.

It's that pocket sized book that you can put in your crossbody bag and put a post it on that particular chapter that has all those stretches.

That way you can just reference it so easily.

But in terms of stretching, yeah, I mean, you know, your body needs a few things before you go on a full day of walking.

Right.

It needs a proper warmup, it needs Some sort of stretch in the middle of the day to keep your body limber and prevent some of that stiffness from happening towards the end of the day.

And it needs some sort of cool down to help your body not stiffen up as much, but also aid a little bit in that recovery process so that you can hit the parks again the next day.

So in my book, like you said, I have a few stretches in there for each of those types of movements.

The warmup, the middle of the day stretch, the cool down, and really all of it is designed to help decrease muscle stiffness and also decrease your risk of injury.

It's designed to help give you more energy all day.

And then it's also designed to have less fatigue towards the end of the day.

And it's not just, you know, it's not just Disney ready, right?

This is for any type of vacation really for.

I mean, it sort of helps get you kind of life ready too.

Stephen, I really wish you would have published this book a couple years ago when I was on an adventures by Disney with my family and my kids.

You know, a lot of what I love about the Adventures of Disney is you can sometimes choose your own adventure and there are excursions you can do that are lighter, some are more medium.

And of course my kids are like, yes, let's do the five mile hike in Wyoming up the.

It felt like a 90 degree hill where I thought I was like, I'm gonna die right here.

But it does you.

These are things that you can obviously implement into day to day life.

What I like too is that you really make sure you address like families and multi generational travelers so that kids can avoid that Disney crash.

And grandma and grandpa or people who maybe aren't as mobile still want to be able to experience as much as possible.

And sometimes it's not grandpa, you got to hit the treadmill six months ahead of time.

Like there are little adjustments families can make in their daily plans to reduce the physical stress, but still keep it fun and magical for everybody.

Yeah, you know, you're exactly right.

No, no matter what age you are, there's something in this book that you can find little tidbits here and there, little strategies here and there that'll help you throughout the day.

This book really was designed to give tips and try and cover everything that I could think of as a doctor of physical therapy, but everything that, you know, the Disney Parks fan can think of in order to have that magical day with a lot less effort and a lot less pain.

So yeah, again you know, I love that they're just little tidbits here and there.

And you know, you might find one thing, you might find a lot of things in this book that work really well.

And the way the book is designed and laid out is, you're right, you don't have to consume the whole thing all at once, but you might be able to pick little things out.

And honestly, I think the book and sometimes our trips to Disney help sort of maybe change our approach to wellness in general.

Like maybe, hey, you know, I was exhausted on the last trip or I felt bad because we couldn't do this thing.

Maybe I had new decades to get myself in a little bit of better shape.

This way the next time we go to world or land or on a cruise or adventures by Disney or whatever it is, you can take some of these lessons.

I think Disney is a powerful motivator for people to get healthier and get more active.

Yeah, absolutely.

I love that.

And for a lot of people, I think that's their why as well.

Because Disney really does that.

Disney does really do that.

And I want to emphasize as well, you know, yes, this book, there's plenty of pages in the book, there's nine chapters, but really it's all about starting small, right?

It's all about starting small, figuring out what works best for you.

If your physical prep plan for your next vacation means starting a walking program, you don't have to start by walking 10,000 steps.

You can start by doing a 10 or 15 minute stroll with your dog.

If you're trying to build up and walk a lot more, why don't you break it up and do small walks throughout the day?

You know what I mean?

So there are.

You don't have to go all in because if you go all in, all at once, that sets you up almost for failure.

You might as well just start, start small, be consistent and then build from there.

Yeah, I was going to say, if you wanted people to sort of take one thing away, I think that's it.

You don't have to eat the whole elephant.

You can do these things in sort of very small increments and sort of continue to work your way up.

If somebody's leaving next week, if somebody's like leaving next week and going, oh my God, there is no way I'm going to get myself in shape for this trip that I'm leaving with my multi generational family and, you know, 18 cousins.

God bless you.

What is, what is sort of your advice for somebody who's leaving next week?

Just discovering the book and just about to get ready for their trip.

Yeah, I would say take, take that week and just learn how to listen to your body.

I would advise use the light system, start there.

Because if you learn how to listen to your body, then you know how to navigate your body as it will walk through Disney World.

Nice and simple really.

I'm not even gonna go into like any sort of other prep like that.

That's really it.

So our good friend Lisa Dinodo Glassner had just run her 99th and hundredth run Disney race a couple weekends ago at Wine and Dine.

And that training prep leading up to that race, I mean she wasn't running as much as she used to because life happens and when life happens, you gotta pick and choose what's more important to you.

Right.

So completely respect for that.

Right.

And same thing happened to me.

But anyways, the reason why she was still able to run the 10k and the half marathon with a lot less training than what she's used to is because she's spent the time and she's been very mindful in how to listen to her body and knowing when she can run a little faster or when she had to slow it down.

The concept is no different from how you should approach your Disney World vacation.

If you just took it, it might not even take a week, it might only take a couple days for you to really learn your body.

As long as you are intentional about it.

You learn the light system, you're intentional about knowing when to slow down or when to speed up, you make that a habit and then you're pretty much set for your Disney vacation.

If that's the case.

Yeah.

And then look, there's so much more in the book that I found fascinating and valuable and sort of gave me my own little light bulb moment.

But I'm also sure that there is somebody listening who has very specific questions about the way they approach the parks or maybe there is some sort of issue that they have, whether it is with their foot, knee, back, shoulder or whatever it is.

Where can people find you online?

Maybe reach out to you if they have a question.

And the other thing too is talk about your newsletter, which I love because you continue to not just supplement the book, but you also provide a lot of these very simple, very easily consumable like tips and tricks and bit of advice that you send right via newsletter.

Yeah, you can find me, you can contact me through my website, fitforthemagic.com you'll find everything you need there, which also links to my socials as well as my YouTube page, which also has videos of warmups and stretches that you can find useful.

And in terms of my newsletter, every week I will send out some bits of information.

So for example, last week I talked about how to handle the cold at Disney because believe it or not, at Disney World it actually gets kind of cold.

I'm still waiting.

I'm still waiting for that to happen.

Well, I guess it depends on where you're coming from, right?

But it's November and it's still 85 degrees outside, so.

Well, I tell you honestly, mornings, you know, I know it's only 55, but the humidity sometimes make it feel like it's in the 40s.

If you're not prepared for it, you know, and you're coming from California, you might come out here with shorts on his T shirt only to realize damn, I should have got.

Dang.

I should have gotten.

I should have gotten like three layers.

It can catch you off guard if you're not ready, right?

But anyways, every week you'll get a newsletter on tips on how to have a pain free Disney vacation.

Just a couple days ago I released a blog post on everything you need to know about how to recover from plantar fasciitis.

So that that is on the blog@fitforthemagic.com I'm working on making sure that the blog stays up to date every week along with the newsletter that comes out every Sunday.

I am going to check out your most recent article.

As somebody who again not being an athlete, somehow I have developed that in my later years.

But look, if you have ever ended a Disney day with aching feet who are back and said like I love the magic but man, my body does not.

Hopefully our conversation gave you a little bit of information and insight and some of the tools to help change that.

A huge thanks to my friend Dr. Stephen Kabibi for sharing a lot of these very practical like based in science ways to make your next Disney trip more enjoyable, more pain free and more full of energy.

You can find his book Disney Ready your Pain Free park survival guide on Lulu.com, on Amazon.

I'll certainly link to his site as well.

I'll also put all of your contact information and social in there.

And as always I I'm sure Stephen would as well love to hear from you what are maybe your best tips for surviving and I hate to use the word surviving, surviving a full Disney day.

Or if you have any specific questions, I know Steve would be happy to answer them either in the clubhouse or if you email him directly.

You could also call the voicemail at 407-900-9391.

Stephen, thank you again so very much.

Congratulations again on the book.

Again, you came to momentum last year.

Somebody from LULU was there talking about a book and just a few months later, the fact that you handed it to me at the retreat was something I think was an incredible accomplishment.

So thank you for being here.

Stay hydrated.

Lou, thanks so much.

It's really been a pleasure.

Number one tip.

Number one super quick tip like overlooked tip like that nobody else is talking about to make sure you have a pain free day in the park.

Go.

Oh my gosh.

Find shade.

Find shade is hard to find in the middle of World Showcase.

Oh my gosh.

There's like no trees while you're at the water.

That's why I love my spot up in Japan.

It's shaded, it's cool and there's sushi and green tea.

That's how I hydrate.

Is sake a good hydration tool?

Probably not, but well, less sugar content than a mixed cocktail.

Right?

It's time for our Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week where you can test your knowledge of the history, sights, sounds, secrets and stories of Disney and enter for a chance to win a Disney prize package.

And this week's trivia contest is brought to you by the most important part of WWE Radio, which is you.

And by joining the WW Radio Nation, you not only help to support the show, live shows and events, but you're also part of the magic that makes it all possible.

And for as little as a dollar per month, you unlock exclusive perks like scavenger hunt months, group video calls, a private community, surprise packages and more.

Even better, your support helps power our Dream Team project which has raised more than $550,000 for make a Wish to help children with life threatening illnesses and their family visit a place that we love and appreciate so very much.

Come be part of the magic and join us over@www.com support.

I am incredibly grateful for your friendship and help and support at.

I love being able to give back and say thank you each and every month.

I want to quickly thank some new and longtime members including Dee Dee, Ray Kastner, Courtney Albright and Jeremy Stein.

I appreciate all of you again.

To find out more and join, you can visit www.radio.com support and now before we get to this week's question, let's go back, review last week's and select our winner.

So back on show 846 I was talking to Todd Pierce about his book about the making of Mary Poppins.

Poppins.

And your question was to tell me in the Mary Poppins movie, what's the name of the bank where Mr. Banks works?

Thanks to all of you.

Entered got this one correct and know that it is, of course, sing it with me, the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank.

And as you recall, this old, very powerful London financial institution was run by Mr. Dawes Senior, played by Dick Van Dyke, and was also the setting for the very dramatic tuppence scene with young Michael.

Anyway, took all the correct entries.

Randomly selected one.

Last week you were playing for a WWE radio keychain, stickers pin and a mystery prize that I brought back from one of my adventures for you.

And last week's winner, randomly selected is Melody Alvarez.

So, Melody, congratulations.

Your package is boxed and ready to ship out.

And if you played last week and didn't win, that's okay, because here's your next chance to enter in this week's Disney Cruise Line trivia challenge.

So every Disney Cruise Line ship has a godmother.

It is part of maritime tradition.

Susan Egan, the voice of Megara from Hercules, is the godmother of the Disney destiny.

Others include a member of the Disney family, Jennifer Hudson, and even all cast members.

But there's only one Disney Cruise Line godmother that's a fictional character.

Who is it?

Who is it?

And for bonus points, points, not that you get points, what ship is this character the God parent of?

You have until Sunday, November 30th at 11:59 from Eastern to go to www.com click on those weeks podcast.

Use the form there getting it a play for the keychain, the stickers, a pin, and a mystery prize that may or may not include some Disney Cruise Line exclusive goodies.

So good luck and have fun.

That's going to do it for this week's show.

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen this and every week.

I know that your time is your most valuable commodity and I appreciate you spending and sharing it with me.

I hope that you found a little bit of insight, inspiration and maybe a little bit of magic in this week's show.

If you did, if you enjoy what you listen to, please do me a favor, help spread the word, share the show and tell a friend.

And this week on Thursday is the Thanksgiving here in the United States.

And I know personally for me, I have a lot, I think we all have a lot to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving is again another one of those holidays for me, like father's Day and Mother's Day, that I don't think we need a particular day to celebrate something that we should be grateful and thankful for every single day.

I know I wake up every morning so appreciative.

One, that I woke up that morning and two, that you afford me the opportunity and the gift to do what I do.

And I think no matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter what we might be going through or battles we might be fighting, sometimes very privately, I think there's always something to be grateful for every single day.

It's part of the reason why I talk about choosing the good.

I think there is an opportunity to choose the good every day, to be thankful every day.

But know, especially this week and on this day, will we recognize those that we love, those that we are surrounded by, those that we miss, and those that, that the people that we are thankful for.

Know that I am incredibly thankful to and for you.

None of what I get to do and share and experience happens without you.

So know that.

Look, I say all the time we are friends, whether we have met yet or not.

And I mean that.

Know that even if we have never met before, if we've never interacted before in person, online or on social, there is one kid at heart living in Florida that is incredibly grateful for you.

And you make a difference.

Difference, a positive difference, whether you realize it or not.

And speaking of being grateful and making a difference, you may or may not know that Make a Wish has been important to me since my the very beginning of my journey, starting with the writing of my trivia book back in 2003.

And over the years we have done everything from fundraising to auctions to our running team to other events to help raise money for Make a Wish.

To date, we've raised more than 550,000 thousand dollars to help children with life threatening illnesses come to visit this place that we all love, Walt Disney World so much.

And I want to invite you to something that we did for the first time last year and I instantly fell in love with.

And no, don't worry, you don't need to run for this.

In fact, it's the opposite because on Thursday, March 26 is the 19th annual Morgan and Morgan Walk for Wishes in Lake Eola park in Orlando.

And there is no running, no training, no, no pressure.

It's just one lap around beautiful Lake Eola that we do together with free food and music and entertainment and an amazing sense of community and purpose.

Last year was our first time walking together.

It was incredible and I loved it so much and we had such a great turnout from the WW family.

I was invited to be a member of the Walk for Wishes community.

So I would love to see you our clubhouse, our running team, friends and family come together again to help help make a wish, grant life changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

And once again we have a WDW walking team that you can come and be part of.

You can come alone, you can bring the family, you can bring kids, you can bring your dog.

You can even order one of the cool WWE Walking team shirts.

You can learn more and sign up@wdwradio.com walkforwishes and I hope to see and walk with you there.

So that's it for this week.

I hope to see you on the live show this Wednesday.

Remember you can tune in, watch and chat on our Facebook page or on the www.channel on YouTube.

It's this and every Wednesday at 7:30pm Eastern.

It is friendsgiving this Wednesday so I hope to see you there.

So thank you again for letting me be part of your day.

Don't forget to choose the good, be the good, set an example for others.

So until next time, see ya.

This is Chrissy from Anchorage, Alaska.

I am currently listening to your show and I am driving from Alaska down to Florida on day 12 and your show has been keeping me company for a long time and a large part of this journey.

So I just want to thank you and say hi.

Hi, it's Elizabeth from Massachusetts.

Just listening to the most recent episode.

So fun, so relatable.

As a self proclaimed Disney adult myself, I'm so pumped to hear that AJ wrote a book.

Like I don't know how I haven't seen this about but I can't wait to now go buy it.

And she just makes great work.

So I've been also following her since the very beginning.

Yeah, I hope you're having an awesome trip.

It sounds like everyone in the WDW family is like here, there and everywhere when it comes to being abroad right now, which is so much fun.

So I hope everyone is having a fabulous time.

I'm just getting back from Disneyland which every time I go back I forget how much fun I love and how much I love it.

Like it's just, I love how manageable the park is and like it has a different tone but still feels just magical and amazing.

So I just was running for the Run Disney Weekend, my first time doing an event there.

So congrats to all the other runners who completed any and all of the races that they did.

It was a great weekend and great temperatures and all the awesome stuff that happened.

So stay magical, be magical, and I'll talk to y' all real soon.

Bye.

Well, it sounds pretty good.

In fact, that's just the right spirit.