No matter what survival situation you may ultimately find yourself in, there is one thing that you’ll likely find, it’s going to be hell on your body. From dealing with a lack of sleep and inadequate hydration, to coping with hunger pains and other stressors, survival can take a huge toll on your body.
You must be prepared to face a number of physical and mental challenges.
One of the best things you can do to ensure your survival, in just about any situation, is to make sure your body and your mind are trained to survive. This means motivating yourself to get off your butt and get in shape.
Being in shape is going to be hugely important to your survival in any situation.
In the beginning, it really doesn’t matter what exercise program you choose, the main thing you need to do is pick something and stick to it. Consistency and follow through is really the most important thing when starting any fitness routine.
Now I know a number of so-called experts are probably screaming at the screen saying “What do you mean it doesn’t matter what program I choose?” Well stick with me here.
If you’re a fitness guru and all you do is work out then this article isn’t meant for you. What I’m talking about here is those who know they’re out of shape, but have never really done much about it.
I have a few friends who work in the fitness industry. In fact, a few of them work at some very big name companies. When I talk to them about their customers, across the board a couple of things are always the same.
Inconstancy, laziness and a lack of motivation.
While these three things are horrible for your body, they’re actually great for most of these companies. In fact, many of them count on your lack of motivation to drive their profits.
They make their money off the people who sign up for a program, attend a couple of times, and then never show up again. Once the new year comes around the cycle starts all over. Most people sign up again, either hoping they’ll do better this time or because they feel a sense of shame for not sticking to the program.
Think about it, we all know we need to exercise and eat well, but how many people make it a habit to do so? Once you’re comfortable in your routine and have made a habit of working out you can then start to tweak your overall plan.
The biggest hurdle in the beginning is staying motivated. Studies show that if you can stick with something for at least 30 days it usually becomes a habit that will stay with you for life. So why not challenge yourself and commit to starting even a basic exercise plan?
For 30 days commit to a 30 minute time frame that is dedicated to getting in shape. Even if it’s just taking a 30 minute walk in the morning, schedule a time and stick to it. At the end of those 30 days I’ll bet you look forward to that time and it will likely become part of your daily schedule.
If you really want to challenge yourself after the 30 days or you need a little bit of structure, I suggest checking out the P90X: 90-Day Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program
Good luck and let us know how it goes…. Remember your survival depends on it!
I begin my fitness schedule in a few days at the gym and i must say that i think it’s really important for people to get serious about their health and well being. I completely agree that in any survival situation it’s extemely important to have the physical endurance for any such case scenario.
Good article! As I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, it is important to incorporate fitness with use of your equipment. It does a person no good if they work out regularly, but, once they have to shoulder that bug out pack, along with the “weapon “and “ammunition” (bricks or similar weight) and find themselves winded after a short while. In short, build up that endurance, endurance, endurance.
It isn’t staying or getting motivated. It’s getting the time and having the energy after a hard days work. I don’t sit behind a desk and push papers, I do construction. After work I am killed so lack of energy prohibits me from doing alot.
For the past 10 years I went to the gym on and off. I always made it at night cause I hated waking up early. But it was always I consistent. this year I went with waking up early and I’ve been at it ever since.
In that case, you are already probably in much better shape than the rest of us to do sit in front of the computer. perhaps you won’t need to work out as much then?
I completely agree. Getting in shape, particularly working on improving one’s endurance are important not only to being able to carry a BOB out of a danger zone, but it’s also key to staying healthy. Getting into a healthy exercise habit is great for staving off stress too and mental well being and the ability to deal with stress in a constructive way can make a huge difference in our ability to survive.
My family and I are starting at the gym this month to help get ourselves into better shape. I’m hoping to get us all into a healthy weight range, plus build our overall well being.
Ok, this is motivation for me. Starting tomorrow, a new fitness plan is going to take shape. Thanks for the reminder!
Mee to, I have been way to fat for far to long and hopfully this and a few other things will keep me at it this time.
I SAY LET THE FAT LAZY INCOMPETENT STUPID NEGLECTFUL UNORGANIZED UNPREPARED UNMOTIVATED SOCIALLY CONDITIONED POPULATION REMAIN JUST THE WAY THEY ARE.. WHEN THE SH*T HITS THE FAN THERE WILL BE LESS OF THEM WE MUST DEAL WITH.. HUMANS ALREADY SIGNIFICANTLY OVER-POPULATE THE PLANET..
While that does sound kinda harsh, I agree with you to some extent. It’s not hard to walk a little every day or control your junk-food eating habits, it’s just that most people don’t want to put forth the effort. When the SHTF, you can’t hold their hand and support them while you have your own problems to deal with. Sometimes, it takes something huge to wake people up, only this time, it will be too late for too many people. The information is out there, if they don’t wanna listen, tough doodie.
It is true we all need to get up off of our ass and start working out maybe not hardcore but like you said a little walking a little weight training never killed anybody. I have to admit my biggest worry is my overweight brother and my mother who has a bad back. Worries me.
check out the Tibetan Longevity Rites. simple. effective. efficient. helps with ANY other exercise you do.
It’s winter but I will start going for walks every day until I’m in good enough shape to go to the gym daily.
I think if you want to nail it down you can nail it down to two things to work on: Being able to lift heavy objects and be able to cover a lot of ground quickly.
Lifting heavy with real world moves such as deadlifts, squats, clean and presses, bench presses, snatches, push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.
You should be able to run 2 miles in under 20 minutes. Later, make that under 15.
Nailing it down to those two things is really getting a lot of the junk out of the way and making it super simple.
That being said, P90X is great, Insanity is also superb.
People use the excuse of no time in their lives. Everyone has the same 24 hours. I was told that when I used the “no time” excuse. Now, 25 lbs lighter, I use it on others. It just depends on your priorities in life. Start walking, then run 50 feet and walk again. Give yourself little reasonable goals every week to obtain. Reward yourself once in a while for your achievments-see how far you’ve come from when you began.