Survival Fitness and Physical Activity
Survival fitness. It’s so very important in the big picture of prepping and preparedness. One’s own body and health should be a primary concern.
Become Physically Fit To The Extent Possible
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?
Age has its way of slowing us down. I can attest to that! But you can fight it if you choose to. Sure it’s much easier for young and middle aged people to become and/or remain physically fit to a reasonable extent. But with that said, have you looked around lately at the quite apparent lack of physical fitness in our society, including young and middle aged?
Can you walk a mile? Several miles? (or more)?
Are you physically fit enough to work all day in a manner that requires manual labor?
Do you have any idea how much more physically difficult your life might become while surviving after a major collapse?
Get out and walk! Move your body!
Here’s one thing you can do to improve your survival fitness: Walk!
We Are Very Overweight as a Society
Watch and observe 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.
[ Read: 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 and/or self-sufficient (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 for Survival Fitness
Just move. Stop sitting so long. Walk.
Walking is perhaps the best simplest 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!
I do practice what I preach in this regard…
Mrs.J and I walk (almost) every day in the morning. About 2 miles, depending. If the weather is bad, she’ll get on the treadmill (I just take the day off – haha). We’ll walk our road during the winter too – unless and until the temperature becomes ridiculously cold (back to the treadmill). Once you push yourself to get out the door and start, it is invigorating. Helps the mind too.
We also exercise (almost) every day using weights and/or ‘the machine’. Again, once you get started, it feels good. That’s your body telling you it’s a good thing…
Then we go about our day – which may include other occasional laborious chores around the homestead. It all adds up to doing what we can to be reasonably fit to the extent our body lets us. Survival fitness.
[ Read:
Good Old Fashioned Physical Labor For Better Health
