What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about preparing for a disaster? If you are like most people, you consider stockpiling some food and water and having necessary first-aid supplies on hand. Although that is an important part of survival, it by no means tells the entire story.
You also need to prepare your mind and body for survival along with putting together a survival pantry. Having yourself in a mental place where you can survive for weeks or perhaps months during a time of crisis is not something you should wait till the last minute to do. In addition, your body may also need some fine tuning so that you can survive a disaster without getting sick.
Preparing for survival by preparing your body is much more than what you would likely expect from a workout routine. That being said, it should also be kept fairly simple so that it is sustainable. The following are some of the fitness activities to keep in mind when preparing for survival.
Cardiovascular – When you focus on exercise, be sure that you focus on high intensity interval training in the form of cardiovascular workouts. Although it may be important for some people to be able to run a marathon, high intensity training teaches your body to be prepared with short bursts of extreme activity. This will be most beneficial during most survival scenarios.
Weightlifting – It is also important to put some lean muscle mass on your body. You can either do a simple workout routine at the gym or some push-ups, pull-ups and squats at home. In either case, you are training your body and packing on some muscle that will keep you safe doing times of trouble.
Lose the Gut – The last thing that you want when disaster strikes is to be carrying around extra weight. Some people may feel as if it is a reserve supply of energy but the fact is, it uses more energy than what it is worth. Get rid of the excess weight but be sure you still have some fat on your body for when you go into survival mode.
Real-World Workouts – There are many benefits to hitting the gym, running on the treadmill and lifting weights. It is also important to get out there in the real world and exercise for experience. This could include activities such as backpacking and rock climbing.
Walk – One of the most beneficial activities you can do at any time is to walk. It helps to toughen up the feet to prepare you to travel long distances, which may be necessary under certain survival scenarios.
Along with all of these physical preparedness activities, be sure that you are mentally preparing yourself for those difficult situations. Keep your body and your mind well rested, eat the right types of foods and take some time every day to think about what you will do when the SHTF. It really can make a difference in your ability to survive.