staying in shape for survival

[chiangmaimav]

There were at least 2 occasions here where physical conditioning helped me to stay alive. Once during forest fire when I had to run a considerable ways to escape, and once in a flood where I had to quickly move to high ground through dense brush. Also, though it is not such a life threatening situation for me, I had to carry injured person a considerable distance out of jungle before he was packed out on elephant. The point is that besides all the various items and knowledge one needs in a survival situation, your own body should be as dependable as your equipment. Some people stay in good enough shape through hiking and other outdoors activities. But for those people who do not, it is important to stay in shape through some regular exercise program.

[crashdive123]

I agree with you. (I am so screwed)

[Sourdough]

Are you sure that there is NOT some little thingie that one could buy, and make this reality go away. Maybe a pill........????

[crashdive123]

Are you sure that there is NOT some little thingie that one could buy, and make this reality go away. Maybe a pill........????

According to GOOGLE - no.

[Rick]

Can I just pay someone to survive for me? I'll pay the going rate.

Actually, chiang* you make a valid point. You can buy a lot of gizmos but if you can't carry it and walk your chubby butt to safety you'll be pretty much hosed.

(looks like we die together, Crash. Want a beer and a Twinkie?)

[Ken]

(looks like we die together, Crash. Want a beer and a Twinkie?)

Pizza. You forgot pizza. I'll take the special with anchovies.

[Rick]

If you gotta go, go in style is my motto.

[Ole WV Coot]

I can do everything I could 30yrs ago. Trouble is I did NOTHING back then. I did use some tree hooks to get rid of some limbs, didn't fall. Spread tons of crushed concrete, cut the usual 2 acres with a push mower so I can do more now. I do much more but I don't have time to list it..Special at the local funeral home, 20% discount for walk-ins so I don't wanna be late.

[Icemancometh]

Physical conditioning is often overlooked by many, myself included. I think people think if they have enough guns and gear they can overcome not being in shape. This is simply not true. Like stated in the OP being in shape saved this guys life and possibly that of a buddy.

[Mountain Man]

Did someone say Pizza

[2dumb2kwit]

In an earlier part of my life, I think I DID survive on pizza and beer! LOL

Now I'm in bad enough shape, that I had to give up the cigarettes, so I can breath well enough to start getting back in shape!

(It's been 1 week, and 3 days........I can do this!)

[Top it off - let it idle]

I have a question related to this. I agree that being fit is good advice all around. I'm in my mid forties with kids 6 and 9 and don't want to be bringing up the rear as they get older. For me, the best exercise has been running and hiking. Anything that really gets your heart breathing and your lungs pumping. However, I'm not convinced that lean and mean is ideal.

For those of you that may have watched "The Alaska Experiment", it seemed like the most fit person, I think he was a young police officer, was at a disadvantage. It seems like very fit, low body fat could lead to higher calorie consumption - even at rest. No body fat means no reserves. Does that make sense? So maybe we can look at those love handles as a valuable survival asset. Call them reserve food stores. So pizza consumption is a valid, long-term survival strategy.

[typ3]

I have a question related to this. I agree that being fit is good advice all around. I'm in my mid forties with kids 6 and 9 and don't want to be bringing up the rear as they get older. For me, the best exercise has been running and hiking. Anything that really gets your heart breathing and your lungs pumping. However, I'm not convinced that lean and mean is ideal.

For those of you that may have watched "The Alaska Experiment", it seemed like the most fit person, I think he was a young police officer, was at a disadvantage. It seems like very fit, low body fat could lead to higher calorie consumption - even at rest. No body fat means no reserves. Does that make sense? So maybe we can look at those love handles as a valuable survival asset. Call them reserve food stores. So pizza consumption is a valid, long-term survival strategy.

I often thought along the same lines--ultra trim and lean probably wouldn't be good in a true survival situation. We have fat for a reason after all.

But the unfortunate reality there are many into survival who are so woefully out of shape that they might not live long enough to use their fat supplies! I've seen survivalist-type videos featuring individuals weighing 300+ pounds!

Essentially, if you're unable to sprint a city block or jog a few clicks, you're probably at more of a disadvantage than someone with a fast metabolism and low body fat.

[DOGMAN]

I've always kept the three mile rule. I always keep a level of fitness that I can go jog three miles at any time. I don't work out....I just work. That seems to keep me pretty fit

[Rick]

2dumb - Not only can you do it....you did it!!

[Jonesy]

I work out three times a week with weights and 20 minutes on the cardio machines. Not a muscle head or gym rat but it sure seems to help with reducing minor injuries at work and play.

I don't see how you can go wrong trying to maintain a fitness routine. I may not live longer but I sure feel better when I keep up with my workout routine.

It makes sense to me that fitness would be valuable part of being prepared for survival. Probably any survival situation I was faced with would definately be a lot more physically demanding than the life I currently lead.

Congratulations 2dumb2kwit on giving it up!

[rebel]

I try to do 3 to 4 workouts per week. It consists of 30 minutes of weight training followed with a 30 minute run and then either 30 minutes of biking or elliptical machine. With warming up, down and stretching it takes two hours. I'll be 50 in a couple days and the speed is gone.

[endurance]

I guess the reason I came to this site rather than some of the other survival sites is because I'm in the field all the time and that's where I'm at greatest risk. In 2006, at the age of 40 I was in the best cardiovascular cycling shape of my life. I did three 24 hour mountain bike races (one 4-man, one duo, and one solo), I did at least three centuries (100+ mile rides), and placed third overall in expert class in a local six race series. No doubt, if TSHTF and I was on my bike, I was going to survive. Oddly, I met a girlfriend who was into running and hiking and I'd go running with her and she'd flat out kick my butt. I could barely eek out 3 miles at the time. Hiking, anything over an hour and I was toast. I had developed a very specific level of fitness. I could ride 24 hours, but I couldn't hike two hours to save my life, no less run 800 meters in under 4 minutes.

Last fall, while doing some cross training and running roughly 12 miles a week (an increase of a million percent over what I'd done the year before), I did what I always do; I got into trouble because I have great lungs, but no bone density because I do a non-weight bearing sport...I got another friggin' stress fracture in my foot (about the fifth in my life). It was the best thing that ever happened to me this time. We didn't have the best early winter for riding, but we had good hiking weather (cool and windy, but dry). So with rigid boots on my stress fracture didn't hurt at all and I started enduring longer and longer hikes with the GF. By spring we were doing three to four hour hikes together on a regular basis. I was walking nearly every evening after work for 60-90 minutes, then riding once or twice a weekend, gardening starting in April (put in two new raised beds from scratch this year) and getting a good diversity of workouts. So now, after several months of this, I'm a solid 15 pounds heavier, but have less dunlap disease than I did in January. It's mostly upper body muscle mass from the garden work and low back muscles from hiking so much. I have little doubt that I'm way more survival-fit now than I was four years ago, despite being 15 pounds heavier and having no where near the cycling endurance.

I also coach cycling and there's some rules of thumb that most people should know:

1) If you look at the relationship between lifespan and BMI, the longest lifespans are at the upper end of the ideal range to the lower end of mildly overweight. In other words, statistically, you live longer if you're 10-15 pounds overweight. There's a number of theories about this one, but the most often cited is the belief that you have more reserves to draw from in the event of catastrophic disease (severe flu, cancer, infection, etc.).

2) Working out twice a week gains you nothing, working out three times can maintain you, but if you want noticable gains, 4-5 times a week should be the minimum.

3) If you want to build stamina and endurance, work out 3-4 times at the same amount each week, then once a week double that amount at a lower pace. For example, if you normally run 3 miles a day, three days a week, on Saturday, run 5-6 miles and 75-80% of the pace you run the 3 miles at, then take the next day off.

4) Most people can do in one day what they do in a week if pushed. In other words, if the above athlete was doing 9 miles during the week and 5 miles during the weekend, if pushed, they could cover 14 miles in a day. They sure as heck ain't gunna feel good, they're going to be a lot slower, but that's generally the realistic limit most folks can muster. If you were to try to pull that trick three or four times in a week or several weeks in a row, you'd be primed for an overuse injury (tendonitis, stress fracture, etc), but as a one-off, it's within your abilities.

[chiangmaimav]

The best thing I like about this forum is that you people are very funny. Of course I want to learn about survival, but I am surprised how funny and what good sense of humor forum people have. Most people probably think survivalists or others on this forum would be nasty, anti-social types who hate people and have no sense of humor, but the opposite is true.

[graffixx808]

not true- i have no sense of humor and i hate everybody...