Health, survival and achieving fitness

When thinking of our overall wellness, I often come up with more critical reasons people should consider shifting to health and better fitness. In our modern world filled with so much uncertainty, we continue to grow comfortable with easy access to transportation, food, water and all the other necessities of life. 

I believe a question we should ask ourselves is if it’s good to assume these daily essentials for quality of life will always be at our fingertips? The more significant problem for each of us is can we survive losing access to these essential services and resources in a natural or human-made disaster?

In just the last ten years, we have seen an increase in heart-breaking natural disasters with significant loss of life. These catastrophes drive home the question “Could I survive in a disaster situation?” News headlines cover the range from common hurricanes, tornadoes, wind storms and snow to the less frequent fires and earthquakes. Even a government error sending a text alert of a ballistic missile attack created moments of panic that caused unfit people to have medical emergencies. 

How concerned should you be about getting your health and fitness levels to a point where you can survive even a couple of weeks of hardship? Perhaps a more important question to ask yourself is if your health and fitness levels can sustain helping your family and loved ones survive?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

1. Can I walk 10 miles unassisted?

2. Can I walk 10 miles carrying 10 pounds of gear and supplies?

3. Do I have the mobility, strength, and endurance to assist family, friends or pets out of a crisis?

4. Can I move quickly carrying a small child over a long distance?

5. Am I healthy enough to handle the stress and strain to save myself from the life-threatening encounter?

6. Am I in good enough condition to go without food and water for an extended period?

These are just a few questions that we will face when an unexpected disaster happens. When you think about the unlikely event of finding yourself in the middle of a life and death situation, adrenaline can only carry you for a short time. If others around you are looking to you for help, you will need strength, conditioning and your health to provide support. So how can someone prepare themselves to survive in a potentially deadly crisis?

Let’s start with the idea of what we may consider is healthy. If you are eating a very healthy diet of fruits, veggies, plenty of protein and you would not be regarded as obese, you are already one step over those who don’t support a healthy lifestyle. Now add the ability to be physically active, have right muscle tone and be able to walk at least five miles without too much effort, then it may be fair to say you are pretty healthy.

I think most of us believe we could be in better shape and periodically each year, we make some effort to improve our fitness. The real trick here is to maintain a consistent level of health and fitness even if it’s done through the most straightforward ways.

1. Body weight training is all the rage with the fitness community these days and for you old timers, you may recognize the term calisthenics from P.E. class. Yes, the standard jumping jacks, push-ups, pull-ups and so on are a perfect way to keep your body ready for physical activity. In an emergency, these basic exercises can save your life.

2. Walking, jogging and even adding short sprints to your weekly routine can be a lifesaver. We have all heard the trend to walk 10,000 steps a day and that works out to be roughly 5 miles. Walking is a very good practice and adding distance over time such as after work, on a treadmill or hiking on the weekend can amp up your conditioning.

3. Stay hydrated every day. Recent estimates show that 70 percent of people in the U.S. are dehydrated every day. It is critical to stay consistently hydrated for optimum health. If you find yourself in the middle of a disaster where clean water is not available immediately, you will be glad your body is well hydrated. Surviving without water is a tricky issue and many variables come into play on how quickly dehydration can kill you. The healthier you are and the better hydrated you are will allow your body to handle lack of water much better than those who are not healthy.

4. Keeping yourself flexible and with good mobility is key to any exercise regimen and it is also essential when dealing with a crisis. If you find yourself trapped or needing to move quickly through harsh terrain, you are going to need to be somewhat nimble. Keeping yourself flexible can be done with a few full body movements a few times a week. Try working burpees and squats into your workout. Yoga is another beneficial way to stay flexible and build effective total body strength.

5. Finally, keep your nutrition plan healthy. Keep your empty or processed carbohydrates to a minimum and teach your body to be a fat burner. You can survive for a few weeks without very much food and if you have already turned your body into a fat burner, your hunger pains and ability to function without eating will be much easier. Intermittent fasting is another way to improve your health and teach yourself to manage with less food intake. If you are diabetic or have other health issues, please review with your physician before taking on fasting.

If you have been putting off getting healthy and engaging in exercise, perhaps the idea you may need to be fit to survive will motivate you to get going. No matter the reason, make 2018 the year you do something about achieving better health.

Judd Jones is a director for The Hagadone Corporation and certified health coach. For more information, go online to jhanawellness.com.