Walk to Your Heart's Content
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (128833)
Gainesville, Florida
January 1, 2016 11:12am CST
I'm spending a week at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, with my kids. It's an annual tradition we have been doing since my daughter was born 16 years ago. One of the things I've always noticed when I return from our week-long vacation is that I've lost weight. I'm fully aware that it is mostly because of the amount of walking around I do in the theme parks. It's a lot of walking!
I read on a Disney-themed blog before our vacation started that you can walk upwards of 10 miles per day at the theme parks. So this year, I decided to track and follow how much walking I have done. Based on my Fitbit readouts, here is what I have walked each day that I have been at Disney:
December 25: 7.88 miles
December 28: 9.7 miles
December 29: 13.28 miles
December 30: 9.29 miles
December 31: 9.75 miles
The average for the five days I have been at Disney is 9.98 miles! So, what the blogger had mentioned about distance walked at Disney is completely true!
Well, at least I am getting my exercise as I enjoy my vacation!
20 people like this
16 responses
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
23 Oct 17
@moffittjc Even more reason for people to go there. Nice way to bribe people into going. 
I think some people would be way too excited about everything going on around them that they wouldn't even think about the exercise they are doing. Seems like a win - win situation at the end of the day. 
I think some people would be way too excited about everything going on around them that they wouldn't even think about the exercise they are doing. Seems like a win - win situation at the end of the day. 1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Oct 17
OMG!!!! Who is this gorgeous woman that is responding to my post?
Hi sweetheart, how are you? I've really missed you! 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Oct 17
@VivaLaDani13 It's funny, I remember you telling me that you were taking a break from myLot for a while, and then I never thought about the fact that we're friends on Facebook! Except for one small problem...I'm hardly ever on FB any more! lol I guess I need to do a better job of keeping in touch with my favorite Australian hottie!
I've been doing pretty good. Had a busy period of time when the hurricanes came that I had to work countless days and hours helping with recovery efforts. Ended up aggravating an old knee injury from over-exhertion. But I'm getting good treatment in rehab and hopefully I won't need knee surgery! But other than that, life's been pretty good!
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
23 Oct 17
@moffittjc haha hello handsome! I was wondering what you would say once I posted.
I have missed you too. It sure has been a very long time. I am trying to ease back into MyLot. I am doing ok thank you. How about yourself?? 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
@jaboUK In addition to the parks being open later than usual, we also visited two theme parks that day...Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom! I can tell you, as this week as progressed, I'm getting more and more blisters on my feet! They're killing me!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jan 16
That's a good question! I was wondering why I walked so much more on Tuesday than I did the other days. I think it was because the theme parks were open 2 hours later than normal, so we had more time to walk around! All I know is that my feet were killing me by the end of that night!
2 people like this
@mawhite (242)
• United States
1 Jan 16
First off, I hope you have a wonderful trip! A Disney trip was one of my family's traditions, and now at 52 these are memories I still remember vividly. I've also gone as an adult, and took my own son there as well.
Second, that is one thing I do remember - the walking! Doing the Disney/EPCOT vacation, I do remember that I every time I went, no matter how much I ate, when I got home I had lost weight.
I always felt that it was the walking, plus drinking so much water. I also think that because every time we went it was so hot, for breakfast and lunch I just wanted to eat a lot of fruits and salads. But at dinner all bets were off haha. Anyway I hope the remainder of your trip is wonderful.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
The dinners each night has been what's killing me, although overall I do seem to be losing a little weight on this trip. I eat light throughout the day, but by dinner time I am eating quite a large amount of food. Luckily, it has been healthy food at dinner time, and also since we stay very late at the parks at night, I have a chance to walk it off after dinner.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
1 Jan 16
haha, whether I want to or not! But I guess it is for the best, because I am eating like crazy while I'm here on vacation. I'm lucky I actually lose weight on vacation, due to all the junk food I consume here at Disney! I guess the walking balances it out!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
@marlina I love walking, as well as running! Due to my hernia last year, I didn't get to do much of either, so I'm excited to get 2016 started off on the right track!
@Freelanzer (10782)
• Canada
1 Jan 16
First of all, you are so lucky to live near to Disneyland and visit yearly. Always wanted to take my kids there but it would cost a fortune. I always find that i do a lot of walking on vacations since I always like to see and get a feel of the place I am in and since I never have a vehicle with me it is easy.
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
I met a family from Canada that drove down to Florida to spend a week at Disney. They were telling me how much of a fortune it was costing them, and that they were trying to be as frugal as possible. I can imagine how much it costs for out-of-country visitors to spend a week in the theme parks!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
@paigea Yes, there are a lot of tricks you can do to save money on a Disney vacation. We bring much of our own food to help cut down on meal costs. I always stay on Disney property (in the All-Star hotels, which are somewhat affordable), and we take the Disney buses everywhere we go. I have annual passes, and I'm on the monthly payment plan for those, so really when we visit the hotel cost is really all I have to worry about affording. But I save all year long (including using my tax refund) to help pay for it! So, by the time I get here each Christmas, most of everything is already paid for, so we can just enjoy ourselves!
1 person likes this
@paigea (36143)
• Canada
2 Jan 16
It is expensive but there are ways to be frugal if that doesn't spoil your vacation. We stayed here.
The breakfast had quite a few choices including scrambled eggs and sausages. The room had a hidabed so could sleep 4. There was laundry on the premises. There was a fridge and microwave and a near by grocery store. Several restaurants. Free shuttle to the Disney parks so we didn't rent a car. We took public buses when we weren't going to Disney.
Are you looking for a hotel? Compare hotel room rates, photos, and guest reviews | Reservations
2 people like this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
2 Jan 16
@moffittjc There is only a narrow strip of water between me and Disney World. I can swim directly across the Atlantic because Florida is on the East coast.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
I hope you're a good swimmer! In addition to all that walking, you'd also have to do a lot of swimming!
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
2 Jan 16
Your heart may be contented with all the walking, but your legs are aching for a bit of rest.
it is just fortunate that you do not have to walk up and down in uneven terrain.
When I traveled to mountainous regions, I always had aching legs from all the walking in the mountain.
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
I did a lot of mountain hiking in my younger days, sometimes for weeks at a time. For me, the most grueling part of those treks was not climbing UP the mountains, but going DOWN the mountains! Especially with a heavy backpack on!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
One thing is for sure, I have no trouble falling asleep each night! I think I'm asleep before my head even hits the pillow!
1 person likes this
@IvySaysHi (4603)
• United States
3 Jan 16
Never been to disney world, maybe one day I could go. Hope your feet don't hurt too bad from so much walking though!
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Jan 16
My feet kept getting more and more sore during the first 4 days, but on the second four days (days 5-8) I started getting used to all the walking and so it didn't bother me so much.
@garymarsh6 (23995)
• United Kingdom
4 Jan 16
There is much walking to do and I can not think of a better way to do it than at Disney. I bet you all had a great time!
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Jan 16
Yes, we had an amazing time! Although I am exhausted from such a busy week at Disney, I did not want to leave last night!
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Jan 16
I was just reading an article about how Disney is adopting a new pricing strategy that essentially is going to alienate both lower income and middle income families. They are trying to be more like Apple, where they draw in the higher income families under the premise that "their product is better than the competition." It's a shame that they are pricing out the very families who made Disney the success it is today. It won't be long before I can't afford it either.
@EugenesDDen (310)
• Ireland
2 Jan 16
Good for you! I'm on the doughnut diet at Christmas to gain some weight!
You're a good role model for the kids anyway!
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
Not really a role model to the kids...you should see the junk food we've been eating here at Disney World! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
I'm usually that way myself! Although I'm not eating the healthiest food on this vacation, I am trying to limit how MUCH I eat! So far, it seems to be working, as I haven't gained any noticeable weight this week!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128833)
• Gainesville, Florida
2 Jan 16
I love walking, so it is an exercise that I definitely don't mind doing a lot of!
1 person likes this
@softbabe44 (5815)
• Vancouver, Washington
1 Jan 16
That's really mystical how one can do all that walking so it's very fitting to be able to keep track of your walking how far do you have to to get to Disney land.
