PREPARING FOR THE WALK

Journeys are nothing to fear. Women from all walks of life and fitness levels sign up each year to Walk the various Global Walks. This program is designed to ensure you are confident from start to finish. Your support team has calculated thoughtfully the number of hours and distance you will walk. We will be there to assist in every aspect of this journey, leaving you to enjoy the experience.

This journey will be more enjoyable if you’re well prepared. You don’t want to find yourself lagging too far behind or reaching the top of the highest mountain pass without the energy to admire the 360° views with your Sole Sisters. And the best preparation for your mountain trekking challenge? Get fit!

Getting fit will not only increase your enjoyment when you’re on your Walk, but it will also help prevent injury. Regular training treks are a great way to improve your overall health and wellbeing, and it is a great opportunity to improve your lifestyle by adding regular exercise to your daily routine.

We have developed a twelve-week Wellness training program to get you ready in mind, body, and spirit. Completing program prior to a physically demanding trek can have numerous benefits and facilitate positive lifestyle changes.

Here are some reasons why people should consider committing to this training:

Physical Preparation: Trekking for 7 days at 25 km daily in the mountains is physically demanding. A wellness program can help individuals improve their physical fitness, endurance, strength, and flexibility, which are essential for a successful trek. Regular exercise and healthy eating habits can also help prevent injuries, fatigue, and other physical ailments during the Walk.
Psychological Preparation: Trekking in the mountains can be mentally challenging. Individuals may face unexpected obstacles, such as harsh weather conditions or difficult terrain. A wellness program can help individuals develop mental resilience, stress management skills, and positive coping mechanisms to deal with these challenges. It can also help them build self-confidence, motivation, and a positive mindset for the trek.
Intellectual Preparation: Trekking in the mountains requires certain knowledge and skills. A wellness program can provide individuals with the necessary education and training on navigation, wilderness survival, and first aid. It can also help individuals develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills to handle unexpected situations during the trek.
Relational Preparation: Trekking with 30 women can be a social challenge. A wellness program can help individuals develop social skills, empathy, and effective communication strategies to build strong relationships with their fellow trekkers. It can also help individuals understand and respect cultural and personal differences, which is essential for a successful group experience.
Spiritual Preparation: Trekking in the mountains can be a spiritual experience for some individuals. A wellness program can help individuals connect with nature, find meaning and purpose in their trek, and develop a sense of gratitude and mindfulness. It can also help individuals develop spiritual practices and rituals that enhance their overall wellness and connection.

Completing a 12-week wellness program before a challenging trek can help individuals prepare physically, mentally, intellectually, socially, and spiritually for the adventure ahead. It can also help individuals build a strong sense of community and camaraderie with their fellow trekkers, enhancing their overall experience and sense of achievement.

However, don’t wait until you are twelve weeks out from the start date, begin training as soon as you sign up. You have access to the Walker portal and all the training videos to get you started. Before beginning any training program, please consult your doctor. WHW requires all participants provide a doctor’s clearance prior to embarking on the trip. You will find the form in this portal as well. Ask your doctor to complete the form and return it to us.

KNOW YOUR LEVEL and CREATE A PATH FORWARD

There are many ways to train, and you can adjust the training programs provided to fit your lifestyle and personal preference. Please reference the training handbook in the Walker’s Portal to determine your level.

Understanding how fit you are now is an excellent place to start. Knowledge is POWER in all aspects of along your Wellness Journey. This helps you create a vision and a concrete plan to move from where you are to where you’d like to be.

Our History

The Women's Heritage Walk is a life-affirming trek inspired by the worldwide history of women who walked to feed their families, bring water to the villages, trade goods and services, and migrate to safer, more hospitable lands. Women have been on the move for centuries, often reacting to the weather, food, and resources.

The Walks was a natural corollary to the three-day Wellness Seminars established in and around the mountains of Garmisch, Germany, in 1992. This format expanded to Poland, Rome, Italy, and into schools to meet the growing need to address the social and emotional need to cope with increased stress, particularly bullying in schools. Women's Heritage Walk, established in 2015, has become an unrivaled multi-layered experience for women.

The Women's Heritage Walk is an unrivaled multi-layered experience for women. It is rooted in the belief that women empower each other, their families, communities, and themselves through growth, learning, and pushing their limits.

Preparation begins three months in advance with a curated program to prepare walkers mentally and physically for an arduous, exciting adventure. This experiential journey captivates all the senses and enhances each woman's physical strength and internal fortitude while enhancing an individual's personal health and wellness path.

This adventure allows walkers to immerse themselves authentically in the local country's cultural heritage. Daily programs stimulate a more profound understanding of our foremothers' life experiences and offer a new appreciation for the habits and customs borne from the hardships of early life.

Participants forge deeper bonds with themselves and each other through physical, mental, and emotional development. Shared hardships endured with common goals create lifelong attachments, increase mutual understanding, widen tolerance parameters, heighten mutual respect, and reinforce shared values. Once accomplished, it accentuates individual strengths and potential more fully.

This transformational endeavor impacts the Walkers and their network of friends, family, colleagues, and community members. Each person learns vicariously from the participant's persistence, perseverance, lifestyle changes, growth, reinvigoration, and heightened knowledge.

Each year brings a new adventure and opportunity to connect as we obtain the most up-to-date research to augment and improve upon the four pillars of Culture and Heritage, Health and wellness, Strength and Leadership, and Community Connection.

We employ an overarching approach encompassing all human needs. We focus on physical and mental health, joy and balance in relationships and spiritual and intellectual curiosity.

Tolerance, perseverance, self-awareness, and cultural respect are themes discussed in the Wellness Component. These become more relevant as the event brings women from multiple nationalities together. The journey provides an open forum for the women to discuss culture, values, and traditions and to learn from each other without judgment. Through it, they discover more that unites them than separates them.

Each woman takes a chance by overcoming fear and disrupting their life momentarily, hoping to find something special inside and outside themselves. Through connections to others unlike themselves, they learn and grow.

"A heart afraid never learns to dance and never takes a chance." Bette Midler

Fear isolates us and diminishes our opportunity to live our best lives by finding our best selves. We must be challenged to do this, and the Women's Heritage will challenge you. Complacency and walking through our lives on autopilot does not. When we think of adventures, we think of exploring something outside ourselves. However, in this Walk, a large part of this challenge and any arduous struggle happens inside ourselves. This Walk challenges you to go outside your comfort zone in all areas.

This program is guided by integrity and honors heritage. The Women's Heritage Walk develops personal and collective strength. Proximity and shared hardship build not only tolerance but respect. By finishing, they teach our daughters, families, and community that difficult does not mean impossible. The challenging walks teach us to persevere with compassion, humbly appreciate nature's power, and draw on inner strength to keep moving forward when weary. This gift of struggling fortifies a heightened and profound belief in oneself and gratitude for the support given.

Along with her in-country cultural experts, Jody continues to develop a modern and ever-growing tribe of a global 'sisterhood.'

26-year-old UAE national Waheeda Al Hadhrami participated in 2017 and said about the event, "Walking through our beautiful deserts and reconnecting with our past was life-changing, although it was physically and mentally challenging. The experience allowed me to meet many women from different backgrounds and walks of life, and I enjoyed the cultural exchange. I loved every step of the journey!"