Survival Fitness and Physical Activity: Walking!
Get out and walk! Move your body!
Do you lack good fitness, fail to exercise regularly, or are you generally ‘out of shape’?
Here’s one thing you can do to improve your ‘survival fitness’:
Walk!
Are You Physically Fit?
You might be prepared with ‘survival’ supplies for yourself and your family. But do you have the fitness, strength and stamina to withstand the rigors of a potentially physically demanding period of time?
Can you walk a mile? Several miles? (or more)?
Are you physically fit enough to work hard all day in a garden (for example)?
Do you have any idea how much more physically difficult your life might become while surviving after a major collapse?
We Are Very Overweight as a Society
Watching and observing others while out in public places, it is evident that there are many (the majority?) who appear to be overweight and ‘out of shape’.
While not being judgmental (just observing), these same people will have great difficulty in a world tipped upside-down where things don’t come so easily.
( How To Lose Weight Fast With This One Tip )
We do enjoy the creature comforts of our modern world. One unfortunate side effect is that we as a modern society are not getting anywhere near the exercise and physical activity that we need to stay in shape.
As a result of eating less nutritious food (junk food) coupled with living the lifestyle of a ‘couch potato’, we have become fat, spoiled, and out of shape.
The Physical Work in a Post Collapse Society
The demands will be more physically challenging.
To the extreme, you might be entirely reliant upon yourself and your group. Even at a minimum there will be substantial issues to deal with.
For those who are into preparedness, it will do you well to consider your circumstances should you need to become ‘really’ self reliant (independently or within a group).
If you cannot do difficult labor today because you’re overweight and out of shape, you will not be able to do it post-collapse if you need to.
What to do?
Walk, Exercise, Move your body
Just move. Stop sitting so long. Walk.
Walking is perhaps the best single thing you can do to improve yourself in this regard.
No need to run or jog – just walk. It gets the blood flowing.
Walking burns calories and will help manage your weight.
It strengthens your body and improves stamina.
Walking improves your mood.
It helps to focus your mind.
It can lower your blood pressure over time.
Walking is said to lower your ‘bad’ cholesterol while raising your ‘good’ cholesterol.
It could reduce risk of diabetes, and will generally make you stronger and more fit.
Brisk Walking
All it takes to reap these benefits is a routine of brisk walking.
Research shows (Mayo Clinic) that regular, brisk walking can also reduce the risk of heart attack by the same amount as more vigorous exercise, such as jogging.
Walking is a gentle, low-impact exercise that can ease you into a higher level of fitness and health.
Walking is a form of exercise accessible to just about everybody. It’s safe, simple and doesn’t require practice. And the health benefits are many.
Plus, it’s great to get outside and LOOK AROUND. There’s a whole different perspective of one’s surroundings when walking through them.
So, don’t ignore your ‘survival fitness’, it’s important!
Continue reading: Good Old Fashioned Physical Labor For Better Health
Good timing Ken
My little wife walks the property and parks at 5+ miles a day, weather permitting.
My 37 year old marine son some times takes these hikes with her. He commented to me the she walks so fast that he had a hard time keeping up and it tuckered him out, but he couldn’t let that little old woman show him up.
The little wife told me the same about him, that he walked too fast and tired her out too soon but she was not going to let the young whipper snapper show her up.
I got them together and explained to both that they need to work together instead of competing with each other, now everything is good, we sure had a good laugh about this!
Echoing NRP
Thanks for the reminder Ken
That’s funny TXDAN!!
There’s alot to be said about the benefits of walking. I know I need to do alot more of it, I’m physically active, but I could/should do alot more.
I enjoy walking in the woods. Benefits the brain, that needs the exercise, too.
I’m not overweight, just slowing down and tired.
I should walk to the barn (1/2 mile away), but I don’t.
Always in a rush.
I figured it’s almost a quarter mile from my work area to my vehicle. Three times a day, to and from.
So I stretch out my 10 minute breaks a little…..what’s the harm??
As they say, exercise….does the body good.
Ken
That’s a cool picture, also.
Brings back memories….
I find I can no longer sling around 100 lb bags of leaves–this spring I’m dragging them–or push a loaded wheelbarrow up the hill without panting. I hope it’s just a result of not doing any real work all winter. I tend to get out of shape during the winter, when there’s nothing outside to do.
Lauren
Hah
I remember 20-some years ago carrying 2 sheets of standard 4×8 drywall by meself, from the trailer into the house. Now, carrying 50# of grain from the truck to the tackroom has me winded.
Where’s my youth?? What happened??
You probably couldn’t carry 50 pounds easily when you were 15 either, so…you got younger?
Lol
Yeah that’s it!!
JC
Yer just turning into an old fart!
Thats all.
😎🤙🏻
Right there with ya cuz
Was cracking up about that yesterday huffing and puffing trying to pump up my marauder
Tommyboy
LOL
To tell ya the truth…..
I ain’t liking this old phart stuff.
Good article. I’ve been walking for exercise for several years. It is fun, easy on the knees, and allows me to ‘multitask’ and listen to podcasts or a local talk show while I walk. My daily goal is 10 miles. Be sure to mix in hills and a variety of terrain. New Balance 877s are good shoes (have about worn through my second pair).
Those looking
I don’t really walk that much. but I do construction type of work and about 2-years ago stopped eating out every other day. I limit myself to eating out only one-time a week. Sometimes not even that much.
2-years ago I was size 42/44 pants and today I’m 36/38 size pants. I can only ware 3 if I have a belt on to keep them up.
I attribute a bit of my weight loss to my brother passing on, he was my best friend and we would go out to eat at least 4 times a week.
Chuck Findlay— sorry about your brother’s passing. A big loss when you were good friends and enjoyed each other’s company. I am glad you have such good memories.
To Joe C.:
I know you have a shotgun. Do you have a dog? Some of the most fun walking activity I used to do is involved with training a good gun dog or retriever.
In the off season, I used to shoot the pigeons that were eating the cattle feed ( be it garbanzo beans or peas on the vine hay bales.) It was great training for a young dog and it also wore the dog out too.
When out field training a dog, I carried several quarts of water and a small bowl for the dog to drink from in addition to the treat-bag, shotshells and other supplies you may need for a day in the field.
At the end of a day of upland bird shooting, you find that you walk a lot for the small amount of protein harvested. For the dog, it is a great new game.
These days, my annual pass at my local state park is my gym membership. If I want a hard workout, I choose a hilly route that day and carry lots of water bottles in my backpack.
The state and national parks will not allow dogs on the trails so I walk my dog around my neighborhood before going to my local state park several times per week.
The toughest physical qualification I have ever done was the testing to become a smoke jumper and the toughest portion was walking over a hilly course with a heavy backpack. The medics backpack was 10 lbs heavier to take into account extra radio batteries and at least 2 IV set-ups including several bags of lactated ringers solution.
For those considering hiking the Grand Canyon this summer, remember that water weighs 8.8 lbs per gallon. With the importance of water in the desert, I would not want to load up ALL of my water on someone else’s mule.
Rather than choose walking shoes, I choose light hikers for additional support for my flat arches. The heavier the load-out, the sturdier my boots.
Ken, Thanks for reminding me to smell the roses. My dog smells everything else to include: the butts of other dogs, the crotch of all my neighbors and the mystery piles found on the ground near our local park.
Good thought Ken – yes, walking is a must! Quit making excuses. For women it keeps our bones strong so we don’t need as much supplementation. Also, bend over and pick up things while walking whether a bit of debris, a pretty stone or flower, or just pet your dog. Then carry that water but limit the weight to no more than two gallons as it also strengthens the bones. You don’t need to overdo it.
I do a ton of walking on our farmstead rather than riding the side by side. Doc was impressed with all my numbers from bloodwork and stated farm life suited me well. Bonus! Eat well and calm the mind at the same time you keep your body in shape.
I’ve been a walker for many years. Really enjoy casual trail walking. Used to go several miles. Then it got down to a couple miles over the course of a day then maybe half a mile. I hope after they replace my knee that I will be able to do more walking again.
Until I received a new knee, I was walking 3 to 5 miles a day ( weather permitting ), now I’m down to maybe 2 to 3 miles a day, but with any incline , I can really feel it.
that is not encouraging. That leg is also badly knocked kneed so hopefully when they straighten it out it will help. It is affecting my whole body- everything tilts to the right. : (
We also enjoy riding bicycles. It’s a great weekend activity that keeps the whole family involved.
I really do HATE these darn contraptions that were suppose to make our lives better!
Left Coast
+1 on that,,,
We are going camping as soon as it stops raining and old man just said, we can’t take his under chair bike along so we are going to walk a lot. Then I pulled up MSB to see what was written today. Great timing!
staying as active as possible is important to be sure, sometimes physical aches and pains tell you other than what you want to hear!
Really good to watch weight and what you eat, especially if your mobility is impaired.
Having achy hip or legs is better any day than being unable to move at all! Its just the way it goes. Am working through the items in my diet to determine what the worst offenders are for causing pain. Simple stuff like the type of cereal i eat, or what i drink, not like alcohol but anything with artificial anything.
Is interesting the things we took for granted when younger that we really miss when getting old. Simple stuff.
For the past 34 years, walking any distance without an occasional break has been an issue for me. As long as I sit a bit every hour or so I can cover a good bit of ground. I’m not the runner I was as a youth but who is?
My advice to young people? Never spin one of your legs all the way around backward. Your hips don’t like it.
I walk at least 5 miles a day at work. Hit the treadmill, exercise bike, bicycle, kayak or walk the dog on the weekend. I run the dog everyday unless its raining so he stays healthy too.
Alfie & Aka,
When my one knee bugs me, I use my rebounder. A lot like jogging, depending how fast you go. My feet never leave the mat. work the knee by lifting the heel. Yes, need to walk my property, cut the tumbleweeds that are getting out of control. Since I carry a phone, have a step counter. Need to go back to 8K a day, out and about or the rebounder.