health-and-fitness-for-disaster-preparedness

Health and Fitness for Preparedness

health-and-fitness-for-disaster-preparedness

One of the most important factors that will affect your ability to survive in a post-disaster-collaspe-SHTF world, is your own health and fitness.

The sad truth is that the majority of Americans are not in the best of shape, and are suffering poor health while many do not even realize it. The workforce has become largely a sedentary service sector, as most sit at their desks during the day and in the recliner at night in front of the TV.

In a SHTF world, do you think this will be the norm?


 
A high percentage of westerners are not laborers and have jobs that do not require very much physical activity. People are largely sedentary.

Just look around. How many people are obviously overweight? Are YOU overweight? Even most of the children today are shockingly overweight compared to years ago. Are YOUR kids overweight?

Today’s western diet and lifestyle has created a very unhealthy and life-shortening situation. We are eating too much processed food, too much sugar, too much fat, and too many calories.

We also are not exercising. At least like we should, to be in reasonable shape.

Surviving IS hard work. Having the strength to pull yourself out of a bad situation. Having the stamina to perform physical tasks for days or weeks (or for life) could be imperative to keep you and your family alive.

 
Consider some of the following physical tasks that you may have to perform in a post-disaster-collapse-SHTF world,

Escaping the disastrous circumstances
Walking home
Walking to get supplies
Walking to help others
Walking to find help
Building a temporary shelter
Building a permanent shelter
Clearing rubble
Digging out
Shoveling
Moving things out of the way
Shoring up a damaged home
Gardening for food
Farming for food
Tilling the ground
Foraging for food
Patrolling for security
Defending
Fetching water
Carrying heavy loads
Chopping wood
Physical work
Doing things by hand – no electricity?
On and on and on…

 

The Simple Truth About Losing Weight

How do you lose weight and become healthier?

If you were to only do one thing to help yourself physically, you should get into a routine of walking. Taking 15 minutes during your work lunch break to go outside and walk around, will not only help you physically, but it will refreshingly clear your mind.

But don’t stop there…

ANY exercise. Just do something. Move your body.

Your weight has EVERYTHING to do with CALORIES.
You eat and drink calories and you burn calories.

When you eat and drink more of them, you GAIN weight.
When you burn more of them, you LOSE weight.
IT IS THAT SIMPLE!

Reduce your caloric intake below that which your body needs to stay the same (approximately 2,000 calories per day, more or less), then you WILL lose weight.

Count your calories, or forgo what you KNOW to be ‘bad’. Will power!

It varies a bit for men and women and a few other factors, but it is all about the calories that you shovel into your mouth (or drink) versus what you body naturally burns during the day plus any excess that you burn in a day through work and activity.

Don’t wait until the disaster. Get in shape now. Start losing that weight now.

I would say “food for thought”, but that might get some of you hungry… ;)

17 Comments

  1. Why are most Americans really fat?
    I’ve live in other countries and this country has the fattest.

    1. Statically speaking, there are many countries with more obesity than the United States. We’re high at number 18, but to think it is only a problem in the US is simply wrong.

  2. How do all the fat preppers expect to survive, when they can barely run?

  3. If your fat, please start exercising. Run a quarter mile and start working your way up little by little. Stop driving so much and start walking or ride bikes more. Get off the mayonnaise, mcdonalds, and all those nasty foods.
    I’m not trying to be mean… I just want all of you to survive.

  4. Jason, I will say this, before someone becomes indignant and chews your head off…

    yup, you got a point.

    except, I would suggest, for all of us who are uhm…”fat”…start with a few feet, not a quarter mile (a quarter mile right off, and you may be paying for an ambulance)…

    in fact, start with a couple plants in the backyard, and personally caring for them/harvesting them/eating them. a little bit of a walk to the back yard/ a little bit of skill growing something/ a little bit of good nutrition…

    1. Yes, good advice. Start small, and keep on working at it. Baby steps first… it’s better than no steps! Just don’t give up.

  5. Remember that some people might be on medications or have medical problems that cause weight gain and do not necessarily sit and eat junk food all day.

    Our food also is loaded with GMO’s, and chemicals. This contributes to the “fat” problem.

    Americans need to learn to eat clean. Local grown produce if possible. Go to local farmers for meat.

    If you can wean yourself from medication, do it. You can only stock so much, then it will be gone anyway. I think most of the meds make us sicker anyway.

    Slow and steady wins the race. Like Ken says, baby step. Start small.

    I am in the same boat. Its hard when you have medical problems.

    1. I hear what you’re saying regarding those with medical problems, which is certainly the exception.

      However there is no doubt (in my mind) that ‘most’ overweight people don’t have such a health problem. It’s what is eaten and consumed, that’s not so good… I myself could stand to lose some weight too (and I’m working on it!) Goal to get back to college weight some day. 15 pounds to go… lots of vegetables…

      People with weight issues WILL have a difficult time in a SHTF scenario. To an extent, it will be ‘survival of the fittest’. It will be hard physical work to survive after TSHTF.

      1. Regarding the ‘overweight’ thing… I read this somewhere recently,

        “In the world of scarcity in which our ancient ancestors survived, vigorous activity was a requirement for survival. In order to get enough to eat, and avoid being eaten, regular “exercise” was unavoidable. In our modern, industrialized world of abundance, the need for vigorous activity has been minimized. We must overcome our innate energy conserving mechanisms and obtain 30-60 minutes, most every day, of aerobic activity, including, walking, hiking, biking, swimming or similar activity. It is wise to combine this aerobic activity with stretching and strengthening and the use of sound ergonomics in order to maximize fitness and functional capacities so critical to optimum health.”

    2. Starting small is the best way! But starting is crucial. The best thing about starting is that some medical conditions (like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems, etc.) get better when you start moving and eating healthy. Even skin problems, autoimmune diseases and a whole lot of other things can get better if you get fitter. And personally I think it’s absolutely amazing how exercise in fresh air and a bit of sunlight (like hiking, skiing, running, etc.) can help with mental problems like depression or AD(H)D.

    3. There is zero evidence GMOs has anything to do with obesity. It is yet another excuse for those that are not disciplined. And one should be eating healthy, whole foods anyway.

  6. Fact is, fat people survive longer than the ripped people with low body fat, and high performance muscle mass. A long term survival situation, which is not related to immediate combat, favors the people with extra pounds…just as they are better suited to withstand long term illness. The six foot guy with 40 extra pounds will simply stand a better chance, than a fitness buff..who gets dizzy if he just misses a lunch.

    1. Uhm… no. I mean, yes, of course a fat man maybe has the theoretical ability to last longer in a situation without food, but in reality a fit guy has the upper hand. If you get dizzy when you miss lunch then it’s a blood sugar problem, so also fat people get dizzy when they have nothing to eat. In fact being overweight is a high risk factor for type 2 diabetes meaning for a lot of fat people being completely without food is even more of a problem.

      That said a fit guy (and I’m talking about having muscles and being able to move at a high intensity for a rather long time – not fitness model buff or 10% body fat) has the ability to GET some food, make food, run to an area where food is, etc. Additionally you have to keep in mind that in times without food the human body burns a lot of muscle tissue and just a little bit of fat because he kicks in “starvation mode” where fat is something valuable. That’s why runway models look emaciated and not buff. So if you have a high percentage of muscles you can last longer (and still be mobile) than if you have a high percentage of fat and hardly muscles. Or if you are “skinny fat” (meaning slim, but still no muscles).

      So the main goal: fitness, muscles, ability, etc. If you have all this and a a bit of body fat so you don’t look “ripped”, you are still on the right track. Look at those strongman contestants, they aren’t exactly slim, but man… they are strong. ;-)

  7. Well, let’s get really nasty here and upset some people. Fat people will get you killed in a teotwawki situation, it’s that simple. It is teotwawki, plus four days and you have a river to cross in a canoe which will barely hold your supplies when your 300 lb. brother in law wants to cross too. Have you ever had a 300 pounder in a canoe? You can also count on this, if they haven’t gotten their weight under control b4 teotwawki then why would we think they will work on it afterwards. Point taken, they will eat through your preps, never say grace, and never say thanks. If they are walking through the woods with you they will always be tired, sweaty, and complaining. Their knees will go out and what then. You leave them behind with knowledge of you, your habits, your food stashes, your weapons, and so forth. We could name 1000 post teotwawki situations of which fat people add nada in the positive and an infinite amount of problems in the negative realm. Frankly fat people are a lot like Teddy Roosevelt, no matter how much they have they always want SAMOA!

  8. Went to the docs about a month ago and decided I needed a diet change. No chocolate at Christmas was a new experience. There wasn’t a candy that I could pass without picking through it, I’d skip breakfast and have a huge dinner. Now I eat 4 or 5 times a day, drink green tea all day, have lots of raw veggies and v8 juice, bran and granola for breakfast. Made myself black sans and rice, ate it for lunch several days. Down six pounds and feel better.

    Used to have a mocha every morning. Only had one New Years day. It’s a will power thing

    Most likely I’ll be staying at home when the shit hits the fan. But I don’t want to be doing it having to be on high blood pressure meds, with type two diabetics etc etc

    Plus walking home 30 miles from work through the woods needs to take a day… Not a week

    Funny thing is when I told the doc I’d rather change what I was eating then have to push a shot in my belly he suggested I wait till after the holidays, and that he wished more people felt that way

    Down 6 pounds, 44 more to go

    1. Uncle Mike
      way to go…
      what is “Made myself black sans and rice”. is that Black Beans and Rice? …

      I am thinking I have read that black beans have some good qualities on their own …anti diabetic/anti high blood pressure. re the rice..if you’re stuck on rice combo, try various kinds of rice/from various parts of the world. apparently these days rice has very high arsenic content (from all over), some worse than others..(google rice arsenic)

Comments are closed.