Use it or lose it.
Just as in any other area of an active life you hold dear, unless you use your prepper skills, put them into practice, and test your fitness and knowledge of survival, you’re likely to lose any of the good work you’ve done.
The principles
Skills – and the knowledge of how and when to bring them into play – are talents you need to work at. Skills are not learned in any one-off training course but must be practised, enhanced, and developed through continual use.
Fight off any temptation to substitute practising your prepper skills by simply buying another piece of glittery kit. Like we’ve said before, skills beat kit any day of the week – and as we insisted in our blog on the 9th of April, you can practice those skills completely free of charge.
Physical fitness
Not only can you work on improving your physical fitness completely free of charge, but you can also do it without any kind of punishing dietary regime or expensive equipment. Practising your prepper skills is just that – practising and testing your physical fitness by conditioning your body to give what it takes in any survival situation:
Ground rules
- your ability to improve your physical fitness may be determined by your overall state of health and the absence of major conditions which might restrict it – work on controlling any heart disease, for instance, tackle obesity, quit smoking, manage any hypertension, and minimise your risks of stroke, suggests a posting on the website The Prepared;
- work on improving your stamina such as by using a skipping rope or running machine – and, with many of us currently emerging from a more sedentary state of lockdown, rebuilding stamina might be a major objective suggested a story in the Times newspaper on the 4th of May;
- in addition to the stamina required to see through strenuous and often repetitive tasks, you will also need to build up your strength to lift, carry, cut through materials, and build your shelter when struggling to survive;
- agility and mobility make up the final elements of the bedrock fitness you are striving to build;
Improving your fitness
- everyone is likely to be starting from their own personal springboard when it comes to improving fitness – there is no single or absolute standard or agenda, only your own programme of what works best for you;
- typically, that means starting relatively slowly and building up to a varied exercise regime in which you walk a little, practise some cardio, improve your diet, and so on, one step at a time;
- it doesn’t mean you have to sign up for an expensive gym membership – just work on routines that you can fit into your everyday life and make it a habit to exercise;
- it can be lonely sticking to any kind of physical exercise plan – so, you might find support and encouragement in taking part in training exercises with others;
- watch what you eat, sleep well, and remember that your physical health is related to your mental health – physical fitness can improve your mental state of mind, and vice versa;
Milestones
- we’ve made the point that improving your physical fitness will depend on where you might be starting from, the shape you’re currently in, and the programme you devise to suit your particular needs;
- that means specific goals might not be all that useful – but linking certain milestones to survival situations may give you a sense of reality and practicality that serves to encourage your efforts as a committed prepper;
- how about aiming to survive – and function well – on just 1,500 calories a day, for instance;
- spend the day gardening – or doing other fairly strenuous work – without damaging your muscles and joints;
- could you run or jog for a mile, let’s say, over unpaved countryside;
- could you carry a 30-pound pack on your back or a weighted vest while walking for a 10-hour day;
- can you lift a 7-gallon container of water – or its equivalent weight of 55lbs – and carry it for 100 feet;
- if there’s an accident, could you drag a body – weighing, say, 11 stone – as far as 100ft to safety;
- how far could you swim – enough to cross a stretch of a river near you?
Practise your prepper skills and constantly test your physical fitness, remembering that it’s not the kit and equipment you own but the skills and fitness you have developed. It’s not the skills alone but knowing when, where, and how to use them. And, for that, you need to practice, practice, and practice some more.
