We do not really talk about it much in the survival and prepping community, maybe because we feel it’s a given, but truth be told if you are out of shape when a chaos situation hits you will really be in a lot of trouble. Good health, physically and mentally, will keep you alive and thriving!
As far as physical conditioning, there are TONS of things that you can do. It depends on your own abilities, your current physical condition, your interests, and the extent to which you would like to condition yourself. Try to make it fun.
You’re looking at two categories. Strength and Stamina. Strength is mostly related to your bodies ability to overcome or exert forces. Stamina has to do with HOW LONG you can do something. You want to train both ways.
It might include pushing weights. It might include cardio workouts – getting that heart rate up for awhile from walking, treadmill, riding a bike…
Try to find ways to exercise while having fun or making it fun. For example I am writing this during the middle of winter. There’s lots of snow outside. So one thing that I often do is go out there with my pair of snowshoes and get a good cardio workout from walking around the fields and woods. I thoroughly enjoy it.
Or maybe simply just go out for a walk! Do it often, not just once in a while. If it’s a winter walk, just be careful – you might want to put on a pair of ice cleats just in case
You decide. Maybe a treadmill works for you. That’s what Mrs.J does every morning while listening to music. Maybe a rowing machine ‘floats your boat’.
Swimming. Jogging. Stretching. Pull ups. Push ups. Jumping rope. Rowing a kayak. Playing ANY sport. ‘Moving’.
During the summer there’s especially no excuse. I get plenty of natural exercise just working around the property on various things and projects. Even cutting the grass is exercise. Everything that you do that involves MOVING is exercise.
Currently, we are in our fifties and feel your pain. You may already be in good shape but when you are older things do not fall together like they did when you were in your twenties and thirties. They just don’t.
The best we can do is feel good, work on our flexibility, lose weight, and be prepared! To learn more or if you are merely in need of a “pep talk” go to Modern Survival Blog.
We are prepared in every other way so let’s start working on our bodies!
Featured Image via Modern Survival Blog