Fitness for "The Battle"

Being physically fit and prepared for emergencies is one of the many reasons I stay motivated to continue with my fitness.  The mental aspect of emergency preparedness can only take you so far, depending on the emergency of course.  We all know “stuff” happens when we least expect it so, we must train with that in mind.  Some examples are: a hiking trip from hell, where you need to drag yourself or someone else to safety or you must run for miles to get help; your boat capsizes and you have to swim for miles to get help; you have to climb a tree to escape a four- legged animal and of course you have to protect yourself or your family from someone (two-legged animal) that means you harm.  Oh, and let's not forget the CDC Emergency Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse plan. We each have our own destiny to contend with so it might not hurt for us to be prepared for the challenge that destiny may bring or what call “The Battle”.

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it".  ~Albert Einstein

** Thanks to all the lawyers, and people that don’t take responsibility for their own actions, I must post this disclaimer; these postings are my own opinions, follow them at your risk and consult your physician. **

Fitness for battle basic routine should include:

• A heavy dose of anaerobic activity, many emergencies are more anaerobic than aerobic. 

• A focus on upper body strength, having strong shoulders and arms can pull you out of a mess.

• Strong abdominal muscles will help enhance upper body strength and back strength.

• An exercise that mentally “breaks” you every now and then.  Such as running up hill, this will help you mentally and physically reach the next level of endurance.

Nutrition for battle basics:

• DON’T accustom your body to chemicals claiming to improve muscle strength or capability.  Depending on the emergency you may not have access to these chemicals and your body will break down quick.

• Make your body perform with what you give it; if you only had a candy bar for dinner, then make it perform at the gym on that.  This trains the body to become efficient, try not to stress it like this too often.

• Don’t overload your body with water, drink water throughout the day.  If you’re carrying a water bottle at the gym it’s too late and more of a habit.  Remember you want your body to become efficient.

Here are some good survival stories to read about, try to picture yourself in their situation and imaging what muscles strength would come in handy.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/survival-stories-antarctica.html

Feel free to contact me.