Personal Fitness and Survival

So, you think you’re ready for a survival situation? Maybe you have your food, water, a productive garden, medical supplies, tools, and a generator. This is awesome! You will be well prepared if things all go south. However, let’s look at one more thing. What about your own personal health and fitness? What if you had to grab your stuff and take off? How far could you make it on foot, carrying a heavy pack? 

It will be to your advantage to look at your health and fitness without any sugar-coating or excuses. Do you take prescription medicines? Are they medicines for conditions that might be improved by a change in lifestyle? Do you check your blood pressure regularly? How about those all-important dental cleanings? Can you walk briskly for a respectable distance without getting winded? Are you overweight?

If your answers to these questions make you uncomfortable or even alarmed, it’s time to make a plan to improve your fitness and health. After all, what good is it to prepare for survival if you are going to fall victim to your own poor health?

Let’s look first at your overall health. If you are overweight or have a curable health condition, it’s time to do something about it while you can. Most of us know what a healthy diet looks like, so give it a try. If you have dental problems, get them taken care of. Stock up on some supplements and take them daily. Ask your doctor to recommend ways to lower that blood pressure or reduce your bad cholesterol numbers, then follow those recommendations. 

Now, how about your fitness levels? If you don’t want to join a gym or invest in expensive equipment, how about using those two wonderful feet? Get yourself a comfortable, durable pair of shoes and walk, walk, walk. Walking in nature is particularly good for both your body and your soul, but if all you’ve got are city sidewalks then that will work too. If it will help, get some music or an audio book on your phone or mp3 player to make your walk more enjoyable. As for your upper body strength, push-ups or dumbbells will do the trick without costing you an arm and a leg.

Because you may face a time when pharmaceuticals, whether over-the-counter or prescribed, may not be readily available, it may be time to acquaint yourself with herbal remedies and essential oils. Do a little research on these topics and keep in mind that learning to use herbals and essential oils takes practice. You need to learn what works and what doesn’t for your particular needs. Once you do, you might be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Working on these aspects of health preparedness will go a long way toward seeing you through a disaster, a personal or economic crisis, or even an all-out meltdown of our current society. Just keep in mind that your body needs to be as prepared for a disaster as your environment. Tackle your goal one week at a time, and the result will be healthier, better prepared, you.