My name is Van Becker. I am an ACE certified personal trainer and have a Master of Arts in Human Performance from the University of Missouri – Columbia. Soon I will be 57 years old. I still perform physically almost as good now as I did in my 20’s. I am a big fan of the book “Younger Next Year.”
I am motivated to speak to those who, like me, expect major upheavals in America in the near future. Social unrest, civil unrest, economic unrest and even racial unrest are looking more likely every day.
Weather changes and drought affecting the food supply, economic woes abroad affecting the world economy, an administration bent and income redistribution causing the wealthy to put their money in safer vehicles and not in America’s economy, growing socioeconomic tension, all give pause for us to up our preparedness for possible scenarios of chaos.
So what do we do? We stockpile food and water. We hoard supplies likely to vanish off the shelves in a panic. We acquire firearms and ammo. We prepare to live off the grid and cook and eat with no municipal electricity, natural gas or water.
We build shelters to withstand all but a full on military assault. We think we are prepared. Yet I would share my professional experience with you and say that many will be stunned to find out that although their brains helped them prepare for many chaotic scenarios, they are likely to find out that their bodies will have let them down.
So many people you see on “Doomsday Prepper” and YouTube videos, show people well prepared in terms of food, water, shelter, weapons and supplies but the most important asset they need, their bodies and their health, were all but forgotten about or ignored. In short, unless you can successfully hold off a siege for many months, movement and health will matter very much, possibly more so.
To put it bluntly, when you are hurt or ill, and there is no medical help, while you are fighting for survival, your body can become a liability and actually hurt your chances of survival.
I would assert more time and effort should be spent on getting and staying fit and healthy. What does that mean? Dropping weight is crucial. The more you weigh, the slower you move and the less distance you can go. You are likely to have musculoskeletal problems that the weight only exacerbates.
If you are carrying a lot of spare tire fat, you are also more likely to have metabolic syndrome. Oddly I bet more of you can better describe the ideal characteristics of an urban defense firearm than you can what is metabolic syndrome. Sadly many of you already have it and don’t know it.
In future articles, I will discuss things you should learn about that I feel are of vital importance to your health and survival.
Things like:
* Body fat percentage
*cardiovascular fitness
*flexibility
*muscle strength and endurance
*balance and coordination
These are all important survival characteristics that go seemingly ignored by many who prepare for chaos.
Like the character in Zombieland said, “Rule number 1: Cardio”.
The zombies got the fat people first. So I will be discussing each of these aspects of fitness and how they would impact your chances of survival.
When and if that day comes, knowing you can count on your body as much as your AR-15, is crucial.
You can always acquire another weapon, you cannot acquire another body. The sooner you start the better, because most of the “age related” maladies are not age related, but time of neglect related. Many can be reversed.
So preparedness should also include time for fitness and wellness. Now is not too soon. Stay tuned for future articles, the next article will cover cardiovascular fitness.
