I lived on beer, sangria and tortillas for 45 days walking 900km on the Camino Frances - and at 59, my body has never felt better.
Let me start with the mornings..
For years, getting out of the tent has been comedy hour. Me grunting, groaning, levering myself upright one creaky joint at a time. Knees stiff, hips sore, that first kilometre walked like a woman thirty years older than I felt in my head.
So when I tell you that on the Camino, at 59, I rolled out of the beds fresh as a daisy every single morning, for 45 days? straight…you need to understand how genuinely shocked I was. This has never been my hiking normal.
In fact, let me back up and tell you the whole story, because if you’re a woman over 50 with a bucket list and a quiet little worry about whether your body’s still up to it…this one’s for you.
I’ve always loved hiking. My body just stopped agreeing with me.
I am transitioning into retirement now, which means the calendar is finally mine and the bucket list is long. The Camino. The Great Ocean Walk. The Te-Araroa….whatever comes next. I’m one of those women who lights up at the words “multi-day trek” and always have been.
But somewhere in my fifties, my recovery stopped keeping up with my ambition. The knee that would swell and throb after a big day. Hips that ached on the descents. Nights of tossing and turning in a tent then dragging myself up sore and groggy to do it all again. I never stopped going, I just started bracing myself for how much it was going to cost me the next day.
And there was a quiet voice underneath all that, the one I think a lot of us don’t say out loud: how long can I keep doing this? Am I still cut out for it?
The Camino plan - and the diet I loved but I’m not proud of (but it wouldn't change for the world).
Once I got to Spain, well… let’s just say my nutrition plan went sideways in the best possible way.
I lived on beer, sangria, calimocho’s and tortillas. 45 days of it. The food choices weren’t the best, but after dreaming about the Camino for years, I planned on having an absolute ball. If you’d told my body to thrive on that, carrying a pack day after day at 59, honestly, past experience said I’d be a wreck.
But day after day, my guts were fine, and allowed me to indulge and celebrate every single day of this bucket list adventure. I felt surprisingly healthy and nourished for someone living like a teenager!
The one thing I did differently
Before I left, I started taking these Optiventure supplements which I heard about online from a thru-hiker I have followed for years. It was promised as an all in one system built for people tackling long hiking adventures that prepared their bodies from the inside out. I am always looking for all the help I can get to keep adventuring for the rest of my life, so I thought “why not”
That was the single change to my routine - three capsules in the morning, three at night, starting a couple of weeks before I flew out and every day through the whole walk.
I’d had supplements like magnesium and a multivitamin for years and never really felt much but I was quietly hopeful that something built for long hikes would be different.
The morning everything changed
Day 5-6 is usually when my body starts really feeling the miles. This time I woke up on day 7…and my body was fine. No swollen knees. No sore hips. I actually stood up in the refuge almost jumping out of bed like I used to….hang on, what’s going on here?
It kept happening. Heaps of energy all day, but no jittery, wired feeling - just steady. Minimal muscle fatigue. The knee inflammation that normally flares up simply…didn’t. And the sleep! I slept well in the beautiful albergue's in the bunk beds for the first time in my hiking life…
It wasn’t just that my knee behaved or that I slept. It was the quiet worry lifting. For the first time in years I wasn’t bracing to “grind through” the first couple of hours each day. I was just…enjoying it. Present. Strong. Happily walking and awaiting my next stop for a coffee (or wine)
That’s the bit I want other women to hear. The supplement routine is one thing. What it really did was hand me back the confidence that my body could keep saying yes to the adventures I’ve still got planned.
If you’re the woman quietly wondering whether you’re still cut out for it, I see you, because I was you. You’ve got the trips dreamed up, the Camino, the Dolomites, Everest Basecamp…wherever your heart’s pointing - and right alongside the excitement is that little thought that won’t go away “...will my body hold up?”
I can’t promise you my experience. But I can tell you what I do now: I prepare my body properly from the inside out. Alongside taking my training seriously…I start Optiventure 2-3 weeks out, and I’ve stopped assuming the pain is just the way things are now. I have started using them daily as my only supplement as I stay active all year round.
At 59, my adventures have genuinely changed for the better and I’m only just getting started. I have some grand plans for the Te Araroa in the coming years which will put me to the test, but I am more confident than ever before.
Yours Truly,
Shop Optiventure Core Here
What other adventurers say...
I found Optiventure online a few weeks before leaving for Nepal to complete two major treks — the 10-day Manaslu Circuit followed by the Three Passes trek, with just 40 hours in between. Optiventure proved to be an incredible product. Over 34 days in Nepal, I had no gut issues, no muscle or joint pain, and never felt fatigued. Even at altitude, with low oxygen, I maintained strong energy levels throughout. At 55 years old, I slept soundly, recovered quickly, and woke each morning ready to take on another challenging pass. I’ll definitely be using Optiventure again it made all the difference.
Bridget F, 55
I took Optiventure during my recent 5-month PCT adventure and found I recovered well each morning and didn’t once get sick. I’m 50 and have arthritis and it really helped with inflammation and recovery. I doubled down after particularly long (65 km) days to give my body an extra boost to recover. So convenient having everything you need in one capsule. Definitely recommend!
Tania, 50
I have literally just returned from a 10 day trek in The Dolimites where I physically pushed my 55yr old body that definitely had some niggles before I left . Taking Optiventure supported me while I hiked up and down mountains, I did my very FIRST Via Ferrata, basically (rock climbing) and I felt pretty invincible, like super woman 💪. My body recovering after each day was great too. I typically have problems with digestive issues when im away and on these supplements I had no problems. I have used them for a month now , the whole time I was travelling and im super impressed. Thank you for bringing these to the market and to people like me who truly have benefited from taking them. Not paid , just the bloody truth 👏
Lyndal W, 55
These supplements are amazing! I've just returned from a 7 day hike on the Cape to Cape in Western Australia. Picture soft sand beach walking for days! The Sunset formula assisted with the most restful night's sleep I've ever had and woke feeling no muscle soreness or joint stiffness. I usually toss n turn all night with hip soreness but none at all this trip. Yay! The Sunrise formula I had with breakfast and I felt energised and noted improved stamina (but not wired and jittery). I challenged myself to a 30km day most of it in soft sand and I achieved my goal easily. I loved these supplements so much I've ordered more for everyday use at home! PS I have a sensitive gut so trialled the supplements at home, building up from one capsule to the recommended three. I had no adverse reactions. Again .. Yay!
