Mr. Rawles:
First of all, I would just like to say a huge thank you for all the advice, expertise, and survival techniques that you have bought to my attention through your books and your blog. I never realised just how much of a risk our current climate is, and how likely we are to get to a state of "every man for himself" survival.

My name is Steve. I am a 21 year old living in the West Midlands county in the heart of Great Britain. I have always had survivalism in my blood, and have always liked to think that I am prepared for whatever the world can throw at me, but recently, the last four years or so, I have become increasingly worried with the state of my country and economical clime. My fears were confirmed last August when mass rioting and looting took control of many of my country's cities, including our capital, London. The authorities and law enforcement were powerless to do a thing, and we were nearly in a state of "Northern Ireland law enforcement", in that the armed forces were to patrol the streets, and we were to have riot shielded police with water cannons on every street corner. Thankfully, that situation has calmed down now, but I know it is only a matter of time before chaos breaks out again.

My main concern is that I, like many million other British residents, live in multi-story, "high rise" flat (apartment) which I see as near enough impossible to defend in the event of WTSHTF. Some "high rise" flats can have as many as 60-70 homes, with 200+ people living in them. It's one thing to secure my front door from burglary and looters, but what's the point when our housing options are so small that we barely have enough room to sleep a family, let alone store equipment and supplies for the inevitable. It's impossible for me to keep a back up generator along with substantial food, water, and fuel supplies in a home that has the total floor space of around 30'x30', including bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, living room and dining space. My home is just not a practical safe house for me, my fiancée, and our daughter. Let alone the fact that we are on the 5th floor, and would have almost zero chance of escape in the event of a fire or terror attack.

I know that the obvious thing to do would be to move house, somewhere out of the city with the space and freedom to properly prepare, but we simply can not afford to. I am currently out of work. I lost my job over a year ago and have been unable to find work since. The same goes for my fiancée, who lost her job nearly two years ago and has also been unable to find a new work placement. We both have to survive on[a combined unemployment insurance benefit of] just over £53 per week (about $84.50 USD), pay all our bills, rent, buy our food, and also bring up our young daughter. It's outrageous. In the past two years alone I have witnessed more businesses and company's both regionally, and nationally, collapse due to the economic state that my government has put the country in. I have recently applied to join the British Armed Forces Reserves (Territorial Army, or TA) in an attempt to earn more money to support my family, and also acquire any necessary tactical, survival, and combat, training and techniques that will undoubtedly prove vital WTSHTF.

Another concern I have, the laws and regulations in this country regarding owning and using firearms. Shotguns and shotgun licenses are fairly easy to obtain, if you own a farm or are a registered target/clay-pigeon/small-game shooter. But other than that, pistols, rifles, and semi-auto weapons are nearly impossible to obtain and get a licence for. A licence can be applied for, but are rarely granted. If you are lucky enough to obtain your licence and firearm, you can expect regular "knocks on your door" at 3 a.m. by the local armed police to check your ammo count and security cabinets for both weapon and ammunition. Then there is the fact of actually getting hold of ammunition for your gun(s). The only real stockist of rifle and pistol ammunition is local "gun clubs" where enthusiasts can go and fire a limited number of rounds from their weapon. But even then, only specific weapons are allowed to be fired. Mostly, some pistols and shotguns. We have no real facilities to accurately zero and test fire weapons that we will no doubt need for our own protection and survival in the case of TEOTWAWKI.

I know I may be thinking small in terms of what will happen, but these are real concerns that I deem as extremely important to the survival and order of my family and fellow country man in the near, inevitable, future.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback or advice that you could give me.

Thank you again, and keep yourself safe. - D.S.

JWR Replies: Joining the TA is a great way to get yourself training in marksmanship, land navigation, first aid, small unit tactics, and even NBC defense. The rigorous physical training will also get you in great shape. BTW, I recommend that you start running every-other day and doing dozens of sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups a day, months in advance of your enlistment.

The free SurvivalBlog archives are fully searchable for the many articles that we've posted on selecting and training with weapons for locales with draconian laws. The article topics include:

• Baton and stick fighting
• Canes, walking sticks and umbrellas
• Air rifles
• Archery
• Chemical irritants and road flares
• Martial Arts

I have recently been introduced to survivalism, preparedness, and TEOTWAWKI - The End Of The World As We Know It.  It was my father who first got me interested in the subject (although I had stumbled upon a survivalism web site years ago when web searching, of all things, how to cook and eat giant salamander - more on that later, possibly).  I have, over the past couple months, picked up lots of cool skills.  For example, I can now cook food that didn't come in a box! That is a big deal.

I have also learned to shoot the paper that the target is on (most of the time) and I have begun taming the deer that live in the nearby woods.  It pays to plan ahead.
That said, I realized that I do have one thing going for me that, sadly, most Americans don't.  From 2007 to 2011 I worked at an athletic club.  During my time there, I learned everything from the correct way to pick up a treadmill with one hand and vacuum under it (yes, that IS possible) to how to make a positively sinful chocolate ganache that is also low-calorie, and, with a little stretching of the truth, you can even claim it is healthy.  All of which, mind you, is my very elaborate introduction to my survival advice: fitness

I know that working out is hard.  It can be boring.  Probably, if you are anything like me, you are literally thinking "I don't wanna!"  Well, you don't have to be a muscle man to be fit. Me?  I'm 5'9", and weigh around 145 pounds and, BTW, I'm a girl.  That said, I'm more than halfway to my goal of 50 consecutive, standard push-ups!  When I started working toward my goal I could do... yes, I'll admit it: 3.  Three push-ups.  That lands right up there in the healthy range for a toddler. So what did I do?  What should you do?

1) Start Small.
No matter what your goal is (and having a goal is a great idea) you need to start small.  Do something easy.  Put 1 less teaspoon sugar in your coffee or tea.  Stop buttering your toast.  Circle your couch once before you sit on it.  I'm not kidding.  The little stuff makes a big difference.
I started by not putting sugar in my tea.  I lost 5 pounds in less than a month.  That is literally the only thing I changed that month.  Not kidding.  Of course, I was a 3 teaspoons of sugar girl, so it made a big difference.  I cut out butter on my toast - which sucked because toast is so dry without butter.  I ended up not even eating toast.  Suddenly, 10 pounds of body weight was gone. 
I used to eat a lot of toast. 

Choose a specific plate, or bowl, to be yours.  You can label it if you want.  Put all the food you want on it once per meal, and then leave a little on the plate when you "finish" eating. 

You care about your health, right?  Eat three meals a day.  No more, no less. If you skip a meal you teach your body that you are literally starving to death.  Then, anything you eat gets magically turned into fat.  Fat, technically, is like canned goods for your body.  Unfortunately, your body has lost its can opener, which means before it figures out how to use all that fat, it is going to eat (not joking) your muscles to stay alive.  So, no skipping meals.

Start switching foods you only kind of like (or foods you like) that are bad for you with good foods.  Anything you eat that contains sugar can be replaced by a fruit.  Fruits are awesome.  Guess what?  Fruit is a natural food.  That makes it healthy.

Replace any carbohydrates you eat with vegetables.  My favorite vegetables are potatoes, because they are also a carbohydrate!  (Wait a minute...) 
Onions are yummy if you cook them.  Garlic is good, too.  There are all sorts of health benefits for onions and garlic, but I like them for the taste.  Celery is one of the few foods that burns more calories to eat than it contains. 

One more tip for starting small:  eat meat. I know animals are cute and most of them are furry and they generally have eyes that stare at you (what else would they use them for?) but - meat is the ultimate food.  It contains protein, which makes muscles and bones, and, yes, it even feeds your brain.  You brain is pretty much the most important part of your body.  You will die without it.
Protein is most easily accessed by eating meat.  Yes, you can find protein in other places, like legumes (beans) gluten (wheat) and, tofu (soy) but get this: meat is the only source of complete protein.

Beans, grains, and nuts contain partial proteins.  Think of it as puzzle pieces.  If you get all of the pieces, maybe your body can flip them around and put them together.  Possibly.  If you only get some, though, your body just throws it away. Meat has complete proteins.  The full puzzle, already put together.  Unless you carefully pair incomplete proteins, they are nutritionally incomplete, and your body cannot utilize them. Fortunately, meat is delicious.

Oh, and in case I forget to bring this up later: quit eating so many grains. I know bread is awesome.  I love carbohydrates too, but they will make you fat.  We use grains to fatten livestock like cows, sheep, chickens, and all those other tasty animals.  It works just the same when we eat it.  Unless you want to get fat (which, I suppose, is one way of preparing for food shortages...) you should stop eating grains. Instead, eat fruits and vegetables which taste good and contain vitamins.  If you're anything like me, you will be much happier getting vitamins from food than taking them in pills.

2) No Slacking Off
You need to make a commitment to yourself, to your health, and to your body.  That means no slacking off when you "don't feel like it".  (Okay, fine, you can skip working out Sundays.)  Make your health choices into a habit.  Every morning, every evening, or every whenever-you-have-time-during-the day, you need to get in a little something extra.
I started out with a few push-ups, crunches, a little jump-roping and a whole lot of asking myself why I was doing this.  I have skipped a total of 5 days.  (That is approximately one out of every ten days, and then an extra because honestly I just didn't feel like it today so I am writing about it instead.  That counts, right?)
Even if you don't have time to do your full routine, do something.

I mentioned rope jumping before.  This is important.  Jump ropes are cheap, and people give them to thrift stores regularly.  Buy one, now. The ideal jump rope is long enough that you can stand on it and the handles will come up to your arm pits.  If it is a little long you can tie knots in the end.  If it is a little short, well, that's harder but you can deal with it. 

Jump ropes take up little space (about as much space as one shoe) and you can use them almost anywhere.  I bring mine along when I travel, and get out of the car to jump every time we stop for gas.  You can jump indoors (unless you have annoying neighbors who complain about the noise) or on pavement, or on grass.  You can jump any time.  There are also jump rope tricks.  I watched little kids do a major jump rope performance that involved flips in the air, multiple people per rope, multiple ropes per person, jumping rope while doing push-ups and, of course, gratuitous amounts of 1980s era rock music.  For the first time in my life, I was jealous of third graders. So, jump ropes are a great investment in your health, and if you keep at it you can astound people will your abilities.  (There is probably a way to convert your jump rope into a weapon for TEOTWAWKI, too, but I haven't learned that yet.)

By the way - you don't have to do an "exercise" to work out.  Anything that uses your muscles counts as strength training.  That means when you haul wood, or carry things upstairs, you can count it as your workout.  Anything that works your heart and lungs is aerobics.  So, running, walking the dog, etc. 
Plus, you can always do a little of what my dad calls "Rambo Skills."  This is anything that you can picture needing to do in a survival situation.  So, like, climbing trees (presumably to survey the land) or punching a punching bag or karate (or pseudo karate). 

Practice presenting the pistol from several different positions. You know, those guys in the cowboy movies make it look easy, but it's tough.  That gun gets heavy fast.

Use an unloaded gun that you've disabled.  [JWR Adds: Do you own a Glock? Then buy a training barrel. That is very inexpensive insurance for 100% safe practice. You can also buy a special dry fire training trigger from Southwest Shooting Authority. These eliminate the need to cycle the slide each time between dry fire presses. The same company also does some great grip reduction work.]

Pick a target with a safe backstop. Practice drawing from the holster, bringing the gun up, and lining up the sights. 

Just like the push-ups, you need to train your body.  You are working on coordination, yes, but you are also training your muscles for strength and endurance.  The goal is that you will be able to automatically bring your gun up (through kinesthetic memory) to aim at the target you are looking at.  Look.  Raise the gun.  Aimed. 
Practice this with open sights, and with a scope.  Yes, you can do this with a scope.  The magnification doesn't change how you hold the gun, it just changes how far you can see when you hold the gun.

My dad can bring it up and have it aimed exactly.  I can't, yet, but if I practice enough, just like with the push-ups, I can.
Plus, just from the little practice I've done, I know it works your deltoids (shoulder.  Ladies!  You want this) and pectorals (chest.  Men!  This is for you) and that one along the side of your ribs that I can never remember the name of (everyone wants to work that muscle). 
BTW - look at your target, not your gun.  Move the gun so that the sights line up with the target without shifting your gaze.  You need to be able to trust your aim, and aim quickly.  That 6-point buck isn't gonna wait all day.  Neither are the zombies.  Just saying.

3) Build On It
I started with 3 push-ups.  I did some crunches and jump roping too, but push-ups were my weakness, so that's what I focused on.  On Day One I did three standard push-ups.  Then I collapsed on the floor for a while, and then I did a couple one-knee push-ups,  a few both-knee push-ups.
Now, Day Forty-Two, I can do 30 standard push-ups consecutively!  That means no breaks.

Add a little more each week or so, and you can reach your goal too.
A bit of advice about building up: your body doesn't understand math.  This is pretty cool, actually.
You know those light bulbs that are 50, 100, and 150 watts?  When you go from low-level to middle, it seems like a quite perceptible difference, but when you go from middle to high, it's like "Meh, so what?"  Ever wonder why that is? This is why:  Your body sees 50 watts.  Okay.  So far so good.  Then, you see 100 watts and that is twice as much! Then 150 watts is only half-again as much, which seems marginal.
When you up your reps (repetitions) you need to factor this in.  Going from 4 push-ups to 5 push-ups is going to seem the same, to your body, as going from 20 push-ups to 25 push-ups.  Both times you are increasing by the same percentage.  Your brain knows that 1 more push-up is much different from 5 more push-ups, but you muscles don't!  Remember that.

Once you decide that your workout is easy enough to amp it up a little (when you start to feel bored while counting your reps) take the time to do a little math.  Pick a percentage that feels safe (like 10%) and figure out how many reps that is.  The next time you are working out, add that many. Re-do your math calculation each time you increase your reps.  That way you can trick your body into doing more for you.

Oh, and if push-ups are too boring, then stand up between each one.  This is what Uncle Sam does to train Navy Seals. It works, too.  Stand up nice and tall, then get down on the ground.  Flat on the ground.  Then get up, and stand up nice and tall.  I wanna hear your back crack.

4) Find Yourself Some Awesome Music
Because, believe me, if you listen to fun stuff when you work out, you feel happier, and less bored.  The optimum music choice is between 100 and 150 beats per minute.  "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees is 100 beats.  It is also the theme song for CPR so it should definitely be on your workout tunes list.

5) Don't Let Go
I'll admit it, sometimes I just don't want to work out.  I figure, I can do 30 push-ups, so I deserve a break, right?  Wrong.  If I let myself skip a day, or two days, or maybe, you know, like, just a week... next thing you know I'll be back down to three push-ups.  It's tempting to slack off, but you have to be tough on yourself.  Someday this work is gonna pay off.  Trust me.

First, my credentials, such as they are:  I have an AS in Farm Management which included Animal Anatomy & Physiology; a BS in Business Management; an MS in Human Resource Management which included considerable work with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  In addition to these I spent nearly fifty years as an American Red Cross Instructor.  Some of you might remember back in the dark ages of First Aid, there was a job of ‘Red Cross - Highway First Aid Unit’.  For those areas of our Nation that did not yet have ambulance coverage.  Well, I constituted a Red Cross Highway First Aid Unit.  In addition, I was disabled during a Coast Guard Rescue in 1977.  At first it was but a small disability, only 30%, however, by 1997 it had advanced to 100%.  The doctors prognosis for me in 1977 was, four years to 100%.  I rather strenuously disagreed with them.

How did I prove them wrong?  I refused to just sit down and surrender.  I exercised in every way I could.  I pressed my limits.  Now there are a lot of jocks out there that will scoff at my rather puny efforts, compared to their exercise routines.  I can only stand back and admire their dedication, and their abilities.

My disability is to the nerve bundle feeding down the ventral side of my right thigh.  It effectively prevents me from most strenuous work with my right leg.  I’m not whining, just stating facts.
So, what did I do?  In the beginning I still did what amounted to modified, full exercise routines.  I swam, bowled, played racket ball, and rode many many miles on a bicycle.  The government helped out by providing me with as much pain medications as I wanted.  More than I wanted.  My doctors and a progression of two wives have chimed together often, and loudly that I should partake of more medications.  I still resist.

I am fortunate to have a doctor who believes me and my ‘hidden’ disability.  No missing or deformed limbs nor a gait that could, or could not be that if a disabled leg.
In about 1996 he recommended that I partake of a Pain Management Group that was forming at our clinic.  My initial thought was, “Right, I want to sit around and listen to other vets complain about their pains.”  Boy was I wrong.  Our group leader had an in-depth background in pain management, and was continuously updating Her knowledge which she passed along to us, her ‘group’.  I will not attempt to do justice to the training she provided us with.  I can never do it justice.  I will stick to what she taught me, and what the group taught me.

First we learned about pain cycles.  I knew I had varying levels of pain throughout a month, but I have never equated this to an identifiable cycle.  Now I can.  Next we covered ‘hidden disabilities’.  Those that Joe Public never see’s.  When the average stranger or casual acquaintance asks that old standard question of, ‘How are you doing today?”  They don’t want to really hear how you are doing.  They can’t handle the knowledge anyway since they cannot identify your ‘problems’ with anything in their backgrounds.  If you proceed to tell them how you are actually feeling, they will get that thousand mile stare and end with something like a head shake and a ‘Oh, that’s too bad.’  In the future they will attempt to avoid you ever telling them again by just not asking the question, or avoiding you totally.  For those true friends who ask, I often have to point out, ‘You don’t see me on the days I cannot get out of bed.’  The implication being, they only see my ‘good’ days, and try to average my condition based on only these ‘good’ days.

1996 was a pivotal year for me.  First, I had to give up my Professorship at the University of Nevada, Reno. Next, I had to accept the stigmatizing title of ‘Unreliable Worker” that was tagged into my file.  This caused me to go out, find a job, and work up to sixty hours a week at it just to show them I could still be ‘of value’.  For a short while I worked this job with a truly understanding boss.  There were several tasks at this workplace that I could perform.  My boss knew that.  As I would walk in the door I would be greeted by,”Good morning X.  Is this an ‘up’ day or a ‘down’ da?.”  It didn’t matter which I told her, she would exclaim, “Great!  I need you over in XYZ today.”  She made it sound to me, and anyone else within hearing that I was doing her a great favor by working ‘that’ department that day.  Too bad it was a short time job as the company made one of those famous ‘moves’ to another land!

But that was okay.  Ninety days on that job just about killed me.  It was also the low spot for me psychologically for me.  I considered suicide.  This is when I was placed in the pain management class. I began to turn my life around.  I learned what I could do, what I could not do, and what I should do, and what I should not do.  It was a revelation.

Now I exercise as I can.  I do not care about keeping up with the Jones of the world.  I do this for ME.  Sounds selfish?  You bet.  On a ‘normal day’ I will get up and take my morning meds.  I assess myself.  If I think I can do manual work, I head out to the greenhouse, or the shop building and tackle one of many ongoing projects.  Which one?  That depends totally on how I feel.  If I can lift things, I move materials, maybe pot some plants, or stack a little bit of firewood.  If it’s a marginal day, maybe weed plants.  I just sit on the 2x6 ledge that tops the 24 inch deep vegetable beds in the greenhouse that I built myself [both the greenhouse and the raised beds.  It only took me nearly three years.  The greenhouse folks tease me that it takes most folks three days to assemble the greenhouse and a couple of weeks to make the beds.  I know they are joking as we have been friends a long time.  They never have to ask me how I’m doing.  If I can walk in their shop, they know I’m having a good day.].

How long can I work outside?  It varies with the day.  The trick is to work to the limits of your ability, and then stop.  It’s the stopping point that’s hard to learn.  Sometimes I can work a light job for nearly an hour.  Sometimes a more strenuous task for a few minutes.  I then must make myself stop.  Sit down, and do a non-strain task until my body is ready to be worked some more.  How long?  That’s the other hard part, first to learn, then to apply.  The only reason I ‘got it’ was the pain management group. 

If, instead, when I eat breakfast, I assess that outside work is out, then I look for an inside task.  My wife and I have accumulated a large library.  We are currently cataloging them.  I can sit with the computer on my lap, in my recliner with my feet raised [best ‘bad day’ position for me] and type.

Some days I can work an ‘up’ job for only twenty minutes, then need a ‘down’ task for a bit.  A bit is sometimes the better part of the day.  So be it.  But, I’m up and moving just as soon as my body will allow.

I need to be careful here as I do not want you to think I avoid all pain medications.  This is unfortunately, not the case.  There are many days that turn out ‘blank’ in that I am not a reliable person.  These are the days, if you were to call me, my wife would answer the phone. After finding out you are calling for me, you may get a response something like, “Oh, I’m sorry, but X. cannot come to the phone today.  May I help you?”  She’s very good at this.  She was my care-giver for fifteen years before we married nine years ago today.

So how do I tie this into prepping?  Our group stress’s physical training and preparedness is based upon, ‘Each to their own abilities’.  The group knows I ‘exercise’ to my limits every single day.  The group, and I, know it is a losing battle, but one I will continue to fight until the real end.  Without all the support of true friends, the pain management group, and my background in education, I would probably just sit down and wait to die.  It’s going to happen anyway, so why fight it, right?  Not me.  I expect my disability will contribute to my end.  But I’ll keep that ‘end’ as far away, as long as I can.  Exercising to my limits every single day is the best that I can do. And I’ll do my best, just as long as I can.

So, get off your dead center, stop listening to all those who tell you that you can’t, and even worse, those people, who by just ignoring you, try to make you feel useless or insignificant, and start living life to its fullest for you, not them.  You can do it.  I did, and still do.

--

CentOre is a loosely connected group of people centered in the Oregon High Desert interested in improving our existing skills, and learning new skills that will enhance our odds when it hits.

JWR Adds: Any readers that are dependent on pain medication should do their best to gradually get off them, as soon as possible, since supplies of all medications will be uncertain in a disaster. I recommend that you cultivate Valerian Officinalis in your garden. Valerian Root is a natural muscle relaxant and sleep aid that is not habit forming. Be self-sufficient in as many aspects of your life as possible. A diverse herb garden is part of this.

When a SHTF moment happens, preparedness is everything. But it is more than just having a bugout bag and a meeting place for your family. It means being ready, economically, intellectually, and physically.
I’m going to talk about three specific goals, why they are so important, and the techniques you can use to get yourself in the best position possible.
Don’t wait to progress from one to the other – instead, look at each of the three goals and pick an idea from each to focus on, then continue to add and build as you go.

Goal #1 - Economic Readiness
Zero Debt - If you are currently in a position of zero debt, and I include mortgage, car payments, credit cards and student loans in this, congratulations. Now…stay that way! As for the rest of us…get out of debt and avoid all debt if you don’t have any yet.
Why is this so important? Put simply, debt is slavery. Stop worrying about your credit score or whether you have one of those nice new flat screen televisions. Keep in mind that every commercial is a siren call to stay a slave and be in debt. It is a pervasive message, one that urges you to continue to swim upstream and be beholden to the credit card and mortgage companies. They want you to believe that your credit card score will be terrible if you aren’t out there running up the numbers.
Living within your means is excellent training for the complete financial collapse that is almost assuredly coming. It isn’t the time to party until the 11th hour, but to teach you what reality, with all of its bristly parts, is really like.
Accomplishing zero debt takes time – especially if you are an owner of a house with a mortgage or cars in the driveway with a few payments to go. Consider either doubling up on payments and forgoing the annual vacation or if you have a decent amount of equity in the house, selling it and purchasing a smaller, more affordable house that has a zero or minimal mortgage. Then pay it off.
If you are currently looking at buying a car or a house, make it a priority to consider whether it fits your needs. Does the car get excellent gas mileage? Could it be converted to biodiesel? Will it carry all the members of your family and have room for the belongings you will need if you have to Get Out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.)? What can you afford to pay double payments on (thereby reducing your term of slavery by half)?
Don’t depend exclusively on debit cards, have some cash on hand at all times - A credit or debit card in your hand will not buy you groceries when the store is out of power and full of desperate people. Have at least a small amount of cash on your person at all times. Invest in a money belt or other hidden contraption and keep some cash in your vehicle and in a safe location in your home.
A source for good money belts and travel wallets can be found here.
I recommend this article on places to hide cash in your house.
And this web-based vendor carries a variety of hidden safes.
Silver and Gold - Consider storing some ‘junk silver’ coins in a safe place in your home. If the dollar continues to devalue, having a precious metal on hand to barter with may make the difference between being able to eat or not, and having the fuel to Get Out of Dodge.

Goal #2 – Intellectual Readiness
Learn something new every day - I’m not just talking self-sufficiency here. Learn a different language, for example. The United States, the country that I and a vast majority of SurvivalBlog’s readers live in, is a melting pot of diverse cultures. And while English is the primary language, having the ability to converse in another language gives you an advantage. It shows your flexibility and willingness to learn from others. If you learn Spanish, Italian or French, they all share common Latin roots – enabling you to communicate in a limited fashion with speakers of other Latin-based languages. 

Learn survival skills, take a CPR class, learn to cook foods from scratch. (This includes practice replicating mixes such as Bisquick, muffin mixes, bread mixes and more).

Learn to garden, farm animal husbandry, auto maintenance and more. Don’t just write it off as ‘not your specialty’ – instead, become a generalist. Science fiction author Robert Heinlein once wrote, “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

Play games   - All sorts, but mentally challenging ones are best. Rev up your brain. Engage in challenging games of strategy by playing chess or other mentally stimulating games. Do crosswords or Suduku and word scrambles. The key here is to challenge your brain – to make it struggle a bit, so that it continues to grow.

Engage in ‘what if’ scenarios – What if there is no way to rendezvous back home with your family? Where do you go? What if you are hurt, or they are hurt, are you prepared? What can you do to prepare?
If you aren’t asking yourself these questions and more; if you aren’t thinking of ‘what if’ scenarios, then you are not prepared. Your bugout bag might be sitting at home, twenty miles away and all your plans shot to dust.

Organize yourself – Know where everything is and have a place for everything. You should know exactly how much food you have in your pantry, how much cash (or gold or silver) you have on hand, and where everything you need to survive a SHTF situation. This means keeping the house tidy, evaluating and re-evaluating the need to keep items and where to store them. Do you have a basement jumble of ‘stuff’ that you haven’t touched in years? It is now time to go through it.

Can’t park your car in the garage due to the pile of belongings inside it? Figure out what needs to go and what needs to stay and find appropriate storage solutions.
Streamline your life and possessions as much as possible.

Increase personal productivity – Increase the number of things you do each day. Make it into a challenge to see how much you can get done (and how few steps you can take to do it) on a daily basis. You can start by making a list of goals…and then get started accomplishing them.

All of these steps will help you become ‘mentally fit’. Someone who is used to working out their brain, every day, will be better prepared for the twists and turns of an unknown future. They will also be better able to make a snap decision that may very well save their lives and the lives of those that they love.

Goal #3 – Physical Readiness
Exercise daily – Whether it is walking, running, working out with weights, yoga or Pilates. Ask yourself this – how far can you walk before getting tired? How far can you ride a bicycle before reaching teh point of exhaustion?
You don’t have to be in ‘run a marathon’ physical shape. What you should do is build your endurance each day, challenging yourself to go that extra five minutes, that extra mile, or that extra five pounds of weights.
Think about creating more flexibility as well. Yoga, Pilates, or just simple stretching activities are good for this. Coax yourself off of the couch and onto a treadmill – or better yet, a walk outside. Take in the fresh air, meet your neighbors, and scope out your surroundings near and far.

Learn a martial art – Increase your chances in surviving a personal assault by taking some kind of self-defense class (even consider fencing – it is mentally challenging and requires quick movement, flexibility and spatial awareness). It will help get you into shape, teach you good body awareness, and help if you are ever in a situation where you need to defend yourself against an attacker. This makes good common sense, with or without a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation.

Learn Gun Safety - Learn how to handle a gun. I was quite young when my father taught me gun safety, around nine or ten. At fifteen, I was the only other female and the youngest of our group when I attended a combat firearms course taught by Massad Ayoob in the mid-1980s. A special note to any women who may be reading this, do not depend on someone else for this –learn how to operate and clean a handgun. Your life may depend upon it.

Stockpile Medications - Maintain your health and stockpile any needed medications. Ask your medical provider if they will issue you a second prescription that you can fill at cost. Insurance might only cover one, but a good doctor will issue two if you request it. For those with chronic conditions (high blood pressure, Type I diabetes, and any other medication-dependent conditions) it is imperative you stockpile these medications. Most insurance companies will only pay for 30 day supplies, keeping you dependent on their medical system. That system is all well and good, until it breaks down in a socioeconomic collapse, or even a basic natural disaster. Medical records could be lost, and your store of medications could quickly run out. Stockpile what you can – and if possible, keep additional prescriptions on hand to be filled at a moment’s notice if things start to go bad.

The Side Benefits
All of these goals will prepare you for TEOTWAWKI or a SHTF situation, and give you that added level of preparedness that may well make the difference between living and dying. However, they are also good common sense.

Being economically prepared also means that you are no longer a slave to debt. Instead you are being financially savvy, and that is a huge step up from the neighbor who only buys Abercrombie & Fitch, or can’t live without getting a new car lease every three years. Your life in the here and now may be simpler, but it will be far better in the long run.

When we keep ourselves mentally challenged, we are encouraging our brains to work out hard each day. There has been a great deal of research into the possibilities that keeping our minds mentally fit is just as important as keeping our bodies physically fit – and could even stave off the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

And of course, when we keep ourselves at a healthy weight, exercise and prepare our bodies, we are more flexible in combat situations or able to flee while our neighbors huff and puff along behind us. Having the presence of mind to ensure our health through necessary medications will give us the upper hand when faced with others who have chained themselves to a system that is ripe for failure.

In Summary
I hope that you also now see that ‘being prepared’ is more than just a bugout bag near your front door. It is a lifestyle, it is a frame of mind, and it is also completely achievable. Better yet, it will keep you alive…come what may.

As an avid reader of SurvivalBlog, I have read a countless number of articles on communications, food storage, tactics, weaponry, and a long list of almost every topic involving survival during a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation.  One major area that directly effects all of the aforementioned topics is physical fitness.  As a certified Health and Physical educator that is working on receiving a Certified Personal Trainer certification I take physical activity very seriously. One term that is used frequently in my field is GPP or General Physical Preparedness. GPP is the base level of fitness that a person must have before they begin a training regiment. As the infamous power lifter Louie Simmons states, “You have to be in shape to train, not train to get in shape.” Relating this to a survival situation, a person can be mentally and emotionally prepared for any situation that comes their way-economic disaster, nuclear fallout, EMP, etc.- but if you are not physically prepared to meet the demands of living in a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation you are doomed to fail or at the minimum will have an extremely arduous physical adaptation period. One thing that many people take for granted is the belief that you will just fall into a routine that will help you adapt quickly and efficiently to different activities that must be completed on a day-to-day basis. Though there is some truth to this, the adaptation will not be pleasant by any means and in some situations will be painful. Walking long distances with a heavy load is a perfect example. Your body will be sore from your pinky toe all the way up to your neck. I know from experience what the effects of a lack of GPP can get you. When I was younger I spent a summer working in a fishing camp in the Alaskan wilderness. One week I was carrying 4 foot sections of logs a half a mile back to our base camp through the undergrowth the next week I was digging six foot deep latrine holes, the week after that I was carrying 15 gallon gas cans 100 feet to fill our boats up, and the list goes on for the 10 weeks I was there. Not only did it take me several days to adapt to the climate, my body was forced to go through physical adaptations week after week which are daunting to say the least. Overall, general physical preparedness is something that people need to seriously consider when preparing for any situation.

As previously discussed in several different articles, everyday life will change drastically after an event. To name a few physical activities that will become commonplace:

• Chopping firewood
  
• Carrying firewood varying distances
  
• Carrying water (5 gallon buckets weigh 40 lbs.)
  
• Carrying food pails of varying weights
• Lifting 50 or 80 pound bags of foodstuffs or livestock feed
  
• Shoveling materials into sandbags
  
• Moving sandbags for defensive positions (typically 25 lbs. or more)
  
• Digging caches
  
• Driving stakes for fortified positions or fence posts
  
• Mending fences
  
• Moving car batteries for charging electronics
  
• Bug-out situations carrying different weights and hiking varying distances over various terrain

The list is never ending. Each person’s situation will be different. If you have a dedicated retreat your physical responsibilities may also require moving hay bails for feeding livestock. If you are in a suburban area you may need to push cars off the road to travel to bug-out location or in come instances push them into place to help set-up a defensive position. In an urban area your physical responsibilities will be even more drastically different then the rural and suburban environment preppers. Also, as the event that has occurred pushes into a longer time period such as in Mr. Rawles’ book Patriots and the financial collapse, physical responsibilities will be even more drastic for everybody no matter where you live.

Many people are prepared to stockpile food, buy weapons and ammunition, and educate themselves on a range of survival skills that will help them in any scenario imaginable. Though, people will not take time out of their schedules to physically prepare themselves to use those stockpiles, weapons, and information  they spent countless hours studying, practicing and preparing. Personally, I would not want to be the person that is as welled armed as Fort Knox, is as prepared medically as Mount Sinai hospital, has enough food to feed 100 people but can’t manage to walk miles in a bug-out situation to get to my retreat or abandon my retreat if it ever came to that.

I am frequently asked by friends how to lose weight and get into shape. I tell people that they must start slow (especially if having not done any physical activity for more then several months.) I would recommend the same thing for preppers who want to get into shape. What I would prescribe requires no special equipment, only items that would be found in any preppers already created stockpile. Developing a proper level of physical preparedness does not require any high-tech equipment or “one machine fits all” gimmick that are being marketed today.

One simple place to start is going for long walks. Not only does the walking help prepare your legs for an environment that does not have any other means of transportation but it will also help you slim down (in conjunction with eating healthier which is key.) Something I recommend is filling up your CamelBak and walk with it. A three liter (100 ounce) CamelBak weighs about 6.5 pounds. The additional 6.5 pounds will come as a surprise to those who are not used to carrying any extra weight on a day to day basis. This is also a great precursor to carrying heavier weights on hikes. You can add more and more weight as your body adapts.
The next place to start is doing various calisthenics. Pushups, pullups, sit-ups, doing bodyweight squats (squatting with not additional weight,) lunges, walking lunges, and a countless number of other exercises that help the body get into shape.

• If you are unable to do 20 pushups in a normal fashion on the ground begin by doing incline pushups against a wall or table depending on your physical ability.
  
• For pullups, you can begin by doing negatives: jumping up so your chin is above the bar and slowly lowering yourself down fighting your bodyweight. Eventually your body will get stronger allowing you to do pullups. Another useful exercise is lying underneath a sturdy table, grabbing the edge and pulling your chest to the table edge while your feet remain on the ground. These are called bodyweight rows, which strengthen your back and help with various pulling motions.
  
• When performing bodyweight squats, make sure you squat down to parallel. An easy way to understand when your body reaches parallel is using a bucket, table or chair that allows you to sit down with your legs at 90 degree angle when sitting. If you sit down then stand back up you are performing a proper squat. Work your way into not using the object after you become strong enough and can physically reach the parallel level of the squat.
  
• Lunges and sit-ups are fairly well known and are tried and true methods of developing strength.
  

There is a much longer list of calisthenics/bodyweight movements that can be performed that can be researched by those interested in developing strength and endurance.
The next method of getting into shape involves two empty five gallon buckets. Fill the buckets almost up to the brim with water, squat down and pick them up, then walk various distances with them. That will be approximately 80 pounds of weight being carried. The task of carrying water or other objects in buckets (especially stored food) will become commonplace after the SHTF.

You can also pick up different objects and carry them. Logs, rocks, sandbags, loads of firewood, and anything else that you will use at your retreat or other location. Not only does this help develop your overall strength and endurance, it also prepares you for the tasks that you will be performing in the future. Also, a wheelbarrow filled with sand, dirt, rocks, firewood, etc. can be pushed different distances.
Finally, one of the most physically demanding and overall physically active things that someone can do is chop firewood. One of the newest crazes to hit the world of training is sledgehammer training. People are buying sledgehammers and old tires and striking the tire over and over again to develop physical strength and endurance. Why waste your time striking a tire with a sledgehammer when you can chop firewood that you will use to cook, and heat your home.

Although I did not list any activities that are “scientifically advanced” or mind boggling to those who think physical activity is simply moving your preps from you car to your storage area every few weeks, they are effective and will help you when the SHTF. I encourage everyone to challenge their bodies not just their minds when preparing for any situation.

We live in an obese society driven by processed fast food and have drinking liters of soda a day and barely any water if at all. I have seen hundreds of people “preparing” for some sort of catastrophic event that can barely walk and some cannot even see the bottom of their shoes they are so obese. I am not trying to be harsh because I am by no means perfect I am just trying to point out something I see wrong with the prepping community today. We also rely on certain stimulants to get us through the day whether it is coffee, soda or any other form of caffeine. If something bad is to happen that would drive us from our normal lifestyle we need to not be so reliant on those things to get us through the day.

Those preparing for a disaster whether it is man-made or a natural disaster should find time somewhere in their schedule to exercise at least thirty minutes a day. As a prepper I find myself thinking when I look at my Get out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.) bag wondering how far I could really get with it if there was an EMP or some other disaster that left me and my loved ones walking. It weighs around thirty pounds and I am in decent shape (trying to get in better) but, I honestly do not know how far I could get with it. That is why the group of people I am preparing with we have started exercising with are bags on anytime we can. Granted it would come off a little strange being at the gym with an ALICE pack on however, everyone should practice it once in a while to get a feel for it and know what they would be carrying. Below I will lest the exercises that everyone in my group has to be able to maintain and we practice once a month to be sure we are still in shape and we can keep each other in check. (Keep in mind this without gear.)

• Dynamic warm ups and stretching
• A mile jog in under nine minutes (I know this is not fast but not everyone in our group is young we just want everyone to be in decent cardiovascular shape.)
• Fireman carry’s with a partner
• Pushups: 50
• Sit ups: 50
• Finally squats with a partner

This is just a basic workout to make sure everyone in the group is doing their part and we can work as a team. Everyone in the group is required to stay physically fit because it is not fair for some people to be busting their tails to stay in decent shape then have one out of shape person slowing the team down and possibly putting them in danger. Do not misunderstand me we are a team and we will always work to encourage each other when we are working out and strive to better ourselves. Every person in preparation community needs to take every measure to be in great (not good) physical shape in case there is ever a SHTF situation. If there is such a disaster there will not be a doctor or anyone to help you with your heart problems or give you the blood pressure medicine you need. Some people astound me because they are willing to put away thousands of dollars in supplies but, they are not willing to take the time to secure their lively hood and chance of survival by staying in shape. Another way to prepare physical for this type of situation is to do they type of labor you see yourself doing in whatever scenario you foresee. Gardening, working on your house or various chores could also provide the muscle memory your body may need.

I am not an expert in kinesiology or exercise and no one in my group is and we do not claim to have the perfect workout routine but we are at least trying to hold each other accountable in the actions we take. Since we only meet once a month to exercise we make sure at our preparedness meetings that the other members are preparing in all areas, especially fitness. If you are out of shape and cannot do everything on my list try and do some research on what you can do there are hundreds of routines on the internet and even more for beginners.  No one can be able to do all these things in a day but everyone preparing for a disaster should consider staying healthy another step on the road to preparedness.

The word addiction in the title of this article pertains to many things. I will do my best to cover everything that encompasses the word “addiction” in the second part of this article. Our world is driven by convenience we want things and we want it as fast it will come no matter how horrible it could possibly be for us. I can remember always waking up to the smell of coffee at my parents’ house and I wonder how people would deal with not having their comfort food or drink in a survival situation.  The society we live in has people addicted to things all around us cigarettes, caffeine, video games, candy, fast food, and the list goes on and on. We prepare food, water, shelter but how do we prepare for our lives to be stripped of the things we have become so accustomed to having handed to us.

I am writing this article to encourage people to make a change to their lives and that will help the keep their cool in a SHTF scenario. I have recently given up soda because I know that it may someday no longer be available to me. If that day comes I do not want my caffeine withdraws to affect my judgment or those around me. I know that caffeine is an endergonic aid and can help some focus however it is a stimulant. I have also tried to stop eating out except for on weekends and have stopped eating fast food completely. We live in a fast paced world but I encourage others to really take a step back and look at your diet and how it will affect you if someday there are no doctors to help you.

Cigarettes and alcohol addiction are the scariest addiction to me when thinking of a survival scenario. There are many adults who have beer with their dinner. There is nothing wrong with that and it by no means is wrong but how will that affect them if they cannot have a beer every night if there is an economic collapse? Many people have seen the way addicts act and what they are willing to do to get what they are after no matter what it is or who it effects. When my Aunt quit smoking it changed her personality for a while, she seemed like a completely different person. The thing that bothers me the most is she wanted to quit so how would it affect someone who didn’t?
If we really want to prepare ourselves for a disaster we need to start cutting the things out of our lives that we know would affect us the most in the heat of the moment. I hope that every prepper would do their best to start cutting out certain things out of their life. Whether it is unhealthy eating choices or smoking we need to make a healthy life choice. If we really want to prepare we need to do ourselves a favor and start dealing with things that could cause us problems in the long run. As an individual you know what you need to change and if you need help doing it I recommend finding a group within your community or even someone in your preparedness community.
In my short time of preparation I have come across many different types of people. We should all strive to make better life choices and cut out things in are life that will drag us down. As a person you can only do so much to prepare for a disaster mentally but if we all do ourselves the favor of shedding a little baggage and changing our lifestyles we would be that much more prepared for something to happen. I suggest that everyone give something up and do it step by step possibly wean yourself off of whatever you think you are “addicted” to or could not live without in a collapse of society.

Conclusion:
We live our lives day by day in hopes that nothing bad ever happens to us yet we prepare for it. We put away food, water, ammo, and supplies keeping our fingers crossed that nothing ever happens but, if something did in the future and we made lifestyle changes now it would better prepare us for anything. Instead of drinking coffee in the morning I now try and exercise and it has completely had the same effect as coffee for me. I feel alive and ready to go in the morning and I would suggest it to anyone that feels tired in the morning. All I hope for with this article is that anyone who is preparing makes a lifestyle change, whether it be to exercise or give something up I know that it would benefit you and your family in the future. Also freeing yourself from the financial burden of an addiction could be very beneficial and aid you in preparing.

Authors Note: About me, I am a college student in his senior year engaged to a beautiful woman who “preps” with me and is the one who encourage me to do this. I go to school full time and work full time. I hope everyone enjoys this paper as I have enjoyed many written by JWR and other amazing people on SurvivalBlog.com.

My family is the most important thing in my life. I sometimes ask myself, what will I do if there is some event that will leave me stranded away from home? Maybe the event is minimal and my vehicle works, I just drive home. What if it is something more serious like an EMP disables my vehicle and I have to walk home, would I be able to make it home to take care of my family. This is why I have a Get Home Bag (GHB) and I try to keep myself physically fit. My main concern is the gear, the route selection home and more importantly the physical fitness that would get me home in one piece with energy to spare.

Gear

The things that are always on me when I am at work are a good pocket knife, a quality multitool, flashlight, money and a good pair of boots. What I have in the vehicle that I always drive to work is my get home bag, 1 gallon of distilled water changed out monthly, a blanket and a good pair of running/ walking shoes.  The gallon of water goes in my canteens; I drink the rest to get me hydrated before the journey. The running/walking shoes and the blanket go into the GHB in case I need to change shoes as a result of hot spots on my feet and the blanket is to keep me warm. My get home bag is a backpack that blends in well with a population that may be migrating home, not one that is camouflaged or tactical looking. I want to blend in with the sheeple so that an opportunistic predator will not give me a second look but one that is subdued so that if I need to hide someplace dark to avoid people, I will not stick out. The clothes that I wear at work are ones that are a dark color, durable and that you can work in without them causing too much discomfort. The gear I carry is in my GHB is very basic, the idea is to get home as quickly and down and dirty as possible, without too much weight but that still will still keep me alive if I have to hole up for a few hours up to a day.

• 1 dark earth tone or camouflage-pattern 8x10 tarp
• 75’ roll of cordage(the inexpensive kind that you can get for less than $5),
•  Hank of 550 paracord (≈25’)
•  Shemagh,
• Butane lighter(goes in pocket when I start moving)
•  Magnesium fire starter,
• Rubbing alcohol,
• Penny stove,
•  Small roll of duct tape,
•  1 qt military canteen with cup, stove support and cover,
•  Military grade chemical lightsticks (2),
• Small first aid kit in a 1qt Ziploc type bag
• Two 1gal Ziploc type bags and a 55gal trashcan liner,
• Fire resistant aviator gloves,
• 2% tincture of iodine,
• A sack that used to hold drums of linked 5.56 ammo for the M249 SAW that will conveniently hold a 1 qt canteen with cover
• 2qt canteen with cover and carrying strap
•  Some granola bars, peanut butter and crackers packets, cliff bars or power bars
•  Map of the area
• Some seasonally appropriate clothing( Jacket, gloves, hat, extra pair of socks, etc)

I know that some of these items are tactical or military based but those items stay in the bag until needed and what can I say, you go with what you know and the military items are all high quality, durable items that are inexpensive and that you can get nearly anywhere. All of this including water weighs approx 15 lbs. This is a good weight because I know for a fact that depending on where I work I may have to travel between 15 and 25 miles to get home. For me that could take as little as 4 hours at an uninterrupted pace to days if I have to hole up or take the long way around to avoid trouble. That is why gear selection is so important but so is physical fitness.  You can have all the best gear in the world but if you cannot carry it two miles then it is doing you no good in getting you home. This is not a 72 hour BOB, this is an ultra light no nonsense pack that is to get you home in one piece. The items that I pack into the bag are intended to be a onetime use and inexpensive, (purchased at stores like Harbor Freight with coupons clipped from magazines or newspapers) so that if I lose them or have to ditch en route, it would not be a big loss. The other thing to consider when you are thinking about spending a lot of money on the kit that if you are in a foot race with someone who wants to hurt you, if you drop your gear as a diversion you might make a clean get away.  If it is inexpensive, you can laugh at how mad they will be when they find out that they only got a canteen of water and a pack of crackers. It is important to remember to keep your most valuable items on you or in your pockets.

Preparing to get home starts days, weeks or even years ahead of time. This comes in planning the route or routes home. How the roads are laid out?, do you anticipate many people on the roads?, where are there creeks or rivers in case you need to refill your water supply?, are the creeks or rivers crossable if bridges are out or blocked?, what are my alternates if any of your roads are blocked?, can you go cross country if needs be?, will I need to pass through bad neighborhoods?, what are some hole up areas if I do need to hunker down? What are some resources that I can utilize at work? Am I physically able to make the trip and will I be able to fight or think clearly when I get to my destination?

Fitness

There are four components of physical fitness with relation to getting home in a SHTF scenario. Endurance, speed, agility and strength. All of these can be accomplished with family in one way or another. This helps to build strong bonds and gives everyone an idea of the physical capabilities of the others in the family. Now the legal disclaimer: Your should not start an exercise program without consulting a doctor and you should discontinue if you feel faint or short of breath. You should also start an exercise regimen slow and gradually build up to where you want to be. If you try and do too much you increase the possibility of injury and then you are no good to anyone WTSHTF.

ENDURANCE. Being able to travel long distances over varying terrain with or without gear and with the possibility of little to no water or food. This is one of the things that will occupy the most training time because it is not something that you can build up twenty minutes a day, three days a week. This requires you to dedicate some real time, hours sometimes. One good way to incorporate a long walk or run a week is to involve your kids. Get them on a bike and let them ride while you walk. I recommend when you get to a decent fitness level that you start bearing weight and workout with more than you would carry in your get home bag. If your get home bag weights 15 lbs, carry 20-25 lbs, because if you can carry 20-25 lbs over long distances, you can carry 15 lbs over the same distance with less effort. If you intend to carry a sidearm while getting home but you may not want to draw attention to yourself while training, take a 2.5 lb weight plate and run your belt through the center home to simulate the weight of a sidearm. You can also take another plate and put it on the opposite side of the simulated sidearm to simulate magazines. Walk for time or distance, if you have an hour to spend, see how far you can go. If you only want to go 2 miles, see how fast you can do it. Build up until you get to a point where you can walk 75-80% of the distance hat you would walk if you have to walk home. If you require a 2 day walk to get home, cut the distance from work to home in half and use that as your goal.

SPEED. Being able to get to top running speed quickly when the need arises. This is a lot more fun to work on with your kids. Try having foot races with them; give them a head start if you are faster or start even if they are faster than you. It can also be incorporated into your endurance training, in the middle of your long runs or walks, pick a point in the distance and break into a dead run until you get to that point then resume your walking. It simulates getting away from a human predator, family dog or angry bull if you decide to cross the wrong pasture. Speed training is one of the most taxing forms of exercise; it requires a lot of energy and makes you work with more intensity. The good thing about this is that it gets easier as you build up your lactate threshold. Lactate threshold is that limit where your bodies can no longer remove the lactic acid as fast as it is producing it. This is the stiffness you feel in your legs when you are doing wind sprints. Speed training is an important factor in getting home because you may have to evade a human predator while on your journey. The quicker you can get to full speed and the longer you can sustain it, the better your chances of getting away. This type of exercise should be done no more that 2-3 days a week because of the toll it takes on the body.

AGILITY. It is being able to start, stop, turn and jump quickly. This is an important aspect of getting home because you may have to dodge a human predator, jump over a wall or log and move in and out of tree lines or around obstacles. The way to incorporate this fitness aspect with your family is play tag or a similar game with them. This is a great way to keep you and your kids quick and nimble. Other ways to get more agile is the exercises that you did in middle school gym class, suicides, run sideways, run backwards, box jumps or jumping rope. Agility training is also very hard on the body so you need to do this in moderation and like I said before, start off slow and build up.

STRENGTH. This is being able to lift or carry heavy objects possibly over long distances. This is the one thing love doing with my kids. I do pushups with the smaller ones on my back. Do squats with the kids on your shoulders or carrying them piggy back. Teach them to do a proper pushup. Core strength is very important and can be worked on in front of the television. Assume a modified pushup position but stay on your elbows and hold your body in a plank position. These can also be done on each side so your work your oblique’s. Another great place to go with your kids and get a workout is at the local park. Although these are usually designed for children, they can be used creatively to get some exercise. Monkey bars are great for pull-ups, varying types of pushups can be done on the apparatus, and reverse pushups can be done on a low bar; climb up and over rock climbing walls. Your kids will love doing this with you and you will have fun doing it. Once again start off slow. If you cannot do pull ups start off with negative pull ups, meaning, step on a box to get you to the high point of the pull up and lower yourself slowly. Also you can use a friend to hold your feet to assist you in doing regular pull ups. Over time you will be able to do pull ups without assistance. Another good way to gain strength is frontier skills. Cutting, splitting and stacking wood by hand will make you strong in a hurry. The feeling of strength or power you get when you can split an oak log with one shot cannot be beat. There is no gym out there that will get you in shape like digging post holes, splitting wood, and carrying odd shaped objects, or hoeing the ground by hand. These last few exercises are not just for getting home but being able to work for an extended period of time doing manual labor in a TEOTWAWKI situation.

The last thing to address is being able to think under pressure and when you are tired. When you finish a physical task how is your thinking? Is it clouded from the effort or can you put the physical exhaustion aside and think clearly? I have come up with ways to train yourself to think under pressure. The physiology of adrenaline pumping through your body and the after effects of exercise are similar. What I try to do when I have done something exhausting like exercise is to do something that requires a higher level of thought, and I do not mean philosophy. What I mean is after exercising do an easy crossword puzzle, field strip your weapons or do simple arithmetic. These activities will help train you to keep your thinking clear when you are tired, during a high pressure situation or when the fog of war sets in.

The question that you need to ask yourself when judging when you are physically fit enough to get home is, will I have the energy to fight when I get home? Will I be able to chase someone or a group of people away when you get home or if you get home and there are roving bands of looters in the area, will you be able to pull an all night guard duty after traveling from work a great distance? The crux of determining whether or not you are where you should be in your physical fitness quest, are you able to go to the limits of your mental strength and fitness for 24, 48 or 72 hours?

The last thing I want so mention about getting home is that there are going to be a lot of people on the road trying to get home, help those that you can, but if there are people that mean you harm and you cannot get away, then strike first and with violence of action.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave or forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6

JWR,
After reading the recent MBR article by Zorro, it seems that all the amateurs still fuss over the 5.56/7.62 or 9mm/.45 debate. At our police agency here in the Southwest, we focus on increasing our trigger time via the SIRT laser training pistol, practicing fundamentals through live and dry fire, working through scenarios (lessons learned) and practicing "range fitness".

A great resource for range fitness is www.militaryathlete.com. Rob Shaul speaks of high percentage shooting positions based upon the experiences of combat veterans, as well as developing the fitness needed to put the gun in the fight.  It seems that whenever I'm selected to attend firearms training courses it's at the worst possible time of year. The temperature for my shotgun course in February was 20 degrees with howling winds. I had to decide between wearing gloves that got stuck in the elevator of the weapon when doing slug manipulation or just letting them go numb. Now I will attend a Rifle course in August as the temperature is officially 110 degrees in the shade. Hydration, heat effect, and laying on the hot ground to zero or practice prone positions are all on the menu. In other words, when we find ourselves in need of deploying the main battle rifle (MBR), its usually at the worst time with factors like weather, visibility, and fatigue affecting our ability to utilize the weapon.  So before a person picks a side in the great ammo/rifle debate, can you run a half mile, do 20 burpees, assume a firing position with your main battle rifle (MBR), acquire targets, squeeze off accurate fire, "change your return address" (i.e. move off the line of attack to better cover), change magazines, and then put the gun back in the fight? I still can't and yet I train for it. I'm considered a reliable shot. I practice, watch videos, and seek out the help of others because I know my life depends upon it. 

My advice is to find a good rifle in a caliber that's readily available. What's a good rifle? (I can hear people leaning in as I write this), Any rifle from a reputable company (Remington, Colt, Winchester, etc) in a caliber you can find at a stocking sporting goods store (.223, .308, .30-06, .22 LR) at a price that you can live with.

Inevitably, you'll purchase other firearms in other calibers as you gain experience (trust me). Seek out competent instruction in your area and practice firearms safety religiously. Improve your level of physical fitness as you improve your firearms skill set. For example, today I will go to the range on my way to work and practice "snapping in" on a target with my AR. I won't fire a single shot [in these particular drills]. Just bringing the weapon up, on target, and acquiring a sight picture. Yesterday I practiced drawing, acquiring a sight picture, and speed reloading with empty magazines for 10 minutes.  Live by the four firearms safety rules, improve your skills, and have fun.

In response to Zorro: Yes the M1 Garand is a great rifle compared to the AR/M4, but I'm partial to the 1903 Springfield because the US Marines wouldn't be known as "Devil Dogs" without it. Just had to say it! Thank you, - Bretmail 

James:
After reading the BYU Kid’s excellent article on physical fitness for TEOTWAWKI, I had to respond.  I had to take exception to his statement that Crossfit wasn’t recommended because it’s “Metabolic conditioning is not conducive to the ultimate goal of being useful, functional and simple.”

The heart of Crossfit is in fact functional fitness for Law Enforcement and our Military.  I’ve been involved in fitness all my life due to my chosen occupation as a police officer (now retired) and my current occupation as a protection specialist which is what most people refer to as a bodyguard.  I’ve been a competitive long distance runner, power lifter, triathlete etc.  You name the fitness activity and I’ve tried it.  I am now 56 years old and discovered Crossfit about two years ago.  I’ve never been so fit, strong and lean as Crossfit has made me.  Crossfit would work well for any prepper searching for a better level of fitness.  All of the exercises described in BYU Kid’s article are either recommended as Crossfit exercises or are very close to a version Crossfit recommends.   Crossfit is completely scaleable to your current fitness level so that you can work at your pace to improve yourself.  I would urge any SurvivalBlog readers interested in making huge strides in improving their fitness level take a look at the Crossfit web site.  You’ll find drop down menus listing all of the crossfit exercises complete with videos to demonstrate their simplicity.  I’m not a crossfit gym owner, I don’t even belong to a crossfit gym.  I viewed their videos and tried the workouts and got results.  That is what’s important to me, results.  It is not even necessary to purchase expensive equipment.  Most of what’s needed involves dumbells, barbells, pullup bar and a place to run.  You can spend as much or as little as you like to build your own home gym.  Try it you’ll like it! - Carl L.

There are some no nonsense, low-cost hands on things that we can do right now and daily to become more prepared in a slow and steady, simple manner. I recommend using Regularly Unavoidable Training Triggers (RUTTs). Getting in a RUTT could save your life.

We all know people that are in a rut.  Some people like to smoke their cigarettes and some spend hours a day in front of the television.  Some people without even thinking about it pick up a little bit of candy or junk food when standing in line at the grocery store.  The truth is that ruts are very easy to get into.  Our quality of life and our very survival will depend on the RUTT that we are in.   Lets talk specifically about how you can get into a RUTT that affects you physically.   Like most people, hitting the gym has never worked for me.  First, you pack a bag, then drive to the gym, change, and work out.  Someone is inevitably using the equipment you want to use.  Then you need to clean up and head home.   

What a huge drain of time and energy.   I would rather be in a RUTT.  Instead of going to the gym, I would rather use quick five minute exercises at many different Triggered intervals during the day.  This has the benefit to allow me to relieve stress, mentally switch gears between daily tasks, and allow me to clear my head as I go about my day.   Here are a couple of things that I do and the Unavoidable Triggers that initiate the action.  

Near the entrance to my home I have an inconspicuous string that is dangling such that the bottom most part is just out of reach for me to jump and smack it.  Every time I go in to or out of that door (almost), I jump up attempting to contact the string. The idea is do this often enough such that eventually you get good enough to actually hit it.  At that point where I actually hit it, I immediately find something to stand on and trim 1/4 inch off of the string. (wash, rinse, repeat)  How high can you jump? Easily 30 attempts a day (approximately 5-10 jumps at each passing of the Trigger) , over a month definitely pushes the 1,000 attempt mark.  Could that whole body explosive jumping action benefit you on occasion?  Would it come in very handy in a survival situation?  I set one up for each of the nieces and nephews at their homes,, and made it a game.  

 The Regular Unavoidable Training Trigger that initiates this exercise is merely passing through the front door.  Get in a RUTT and do it every time.   What would be the benefit if you were to place a punching/heavy bag  just inside a child's bed room door, such that they could not enter without giving it a bit of a shove.  Would it benefit that child physically to push that bag out of the way 10 times a day for years?  Could you do the same thing for your bedroom/ den/ office/ man cave?  This exercise is Triggered by entering and exiting the room and is Unavoidable.    

What would it do to a child's (or adults) agility and ankle strength if the middle of their bedroom floor from a young age (It has just always been that way) J had a large section covered by a piece of wood or thick carpet with a random array of tennis ball half's attached to it.  Would agility improve over time?  Here the Training Trigger is Unavoidable and is always present when walking in this room.   If there was a pull-up bar above the bathroom door. Every time you finish using the bathroom do a pull up or two on the way out.  As most people use the bathroom a few times per day, this Regular Training Trigger is Unavoidable.  

A 2x4 on the floor (or laying in the garden if the spouse will not tolerate it in the home) makes an excellent balance beam. Get in the habit of always traveling along it when you come to it. When you get to the point where you are doing it without even thinking,,, turn it on edge and screw a couple of supportive "feet" to it. Now walk the narrow edge from then on. It will soon become second nature and brainlessly easy. Have you been able to do this for a while without thinking about it?  Place or screw a stable block under one end to create a 1' incline. The balance beam is right there whenever you approach this area.   It is in your way, Unavoidable and it is just easier to play along with this game you have made for yourself.  You could even disguise it as decorative landscape edging.  

Is there any way that a Tarzan rope could be incorporated into your daily comings and goings?  Would you and your kids benefit if the Tarzan rope was the only acceptable way to leave the front porch.  If there was that and a balance beam coming up the stairs into the home, kids would come and go using them every time.   

A personal hero of mine, J.J. Armes, is said to have turned all of the stairs in his home into high traction rubber inclines to benefit the physical abilities of his family.  How is that for a Regularly Unavoidable Training Trigger?  As a bonus, this would also seriously confuse a burglar and slow down the uninitiated.  

Almost as drastic, a couple of well placed boards or commercially purchased climbing hand holds could become the only acceptable way for the kids (big and small) to go upstairs to the bedrooms or to enter their tree house.   Although not complete, I am currently working on weaving a stout climbing rope so that at multiple times of the day I can take a moment and climb it as I pass.  A regular thick rope is climbable; however, a proper "fast-rope" is much easier on the hands and will result in more frequent use.  If you ever find yourself feeling unmotivated to climb the rope, just attach a small sign that reads “Do NOT Climb Rope - By Order of a Large Government Agency.”  You will soon find that the urge to climb has returned.

I like to frequently have a look and see what is in the refrigerator.  On the main shelf , front and center and sideways, I place the water pitcher.  Now, whenever I open the refrigerator, I have a glass ready to fill with water.  It is usually the case that after having a drink of water, I am not thinking so much about getting a little snack.  

What kinds of things do you Regularly do as you go about your day?  To what positive things can you attach a Regularly Unavoidable Training Trigger?   

Is there a BB gun trap target on the back wall inside of the wood shed with a BB training pistol standing by such that each and every time you fetch wood you can have a couple of practice shots?  Is this proximity to a safe backstop also a good time to practice retrieving your pistol from your concealed carry?  Yes, I know, the wood shed is often cold.  But is that not the point, to practice in all conditions?  What about practicing after you have split a few logs?   Does the screen saver on your computer show a different intricate scene or series of objects and when a button is pushed, does it block you from proceeding until you put check marks in the box corresponding to the items that were actually in the scene? Would that help improve your recall and situational awareness.  Can you set the level of difficulty?   Can others upload expansions and new scenes?  (Well, mine certainly cannot.)

Do you without fail play the "situational awareness game" when out in a public setting like a restaurant?  It goes like this:  Everyone but you closed there eyes, and you ask them three questions about the surroundings. For instance: What color are the drapes?  Does the room have fire suppression sprinklers installed?  How many exit signs are visible?  How many people are wearing hats? The players can answer with a show of fingers and the winner leads the next round.  My Trigger for this is all dining out occasions.  

When traveling home never travel the same path twice.  It is a proven brain stretcher and allows you to familiarize yourself with what is currently going on in the area around you.  Attempt to use unconventional paths such as through parking lots and behind shopping centers.  This simple exercise could really be a life saver in a bug out situation.   It is easy to fall into a habit or a RUTT, why not set yourself up, and create a few that would really benefit you and your family.  Just like food preps, slow and steady, simple and stupid, can win this race also.

JWR Adds: One good RUTT is positioning pull-up bars at the top of two or three doorways inside your house. Get in to the habit of doing four or five pull-ups each time that you walk through that doorway when you aren't carrying an object. This can be turned into a fun game for the family. If you have teenagers, it can even be made a bit competitive--in a friendly way, of course.