We talk a lot about Prepping but..

[Rick]

There is one aspect many often forget.

is it guns? no hardly.. is it food? also no..
its this:
http://forum.homestead.org/forums/fitness.11/

Achieving the maximum fitness you can reasonably achieve will make you thrive in a the high stress, high manual labor environment of SHTF.

What you're old, you say?

yes even an older person unless they are outright disabled with consistent and smart exercising can beat (and I mean this both figuratively and if you wish literally) many many 20 somethings that are couch potatoes ( as many of them are).

Spend some time in the fitness forum..
Ask questions if you have a condition like plantar fascitiis or whatever and how to work around it.
Others have been there.

I myself am in my 50s now and can beat (or beat up) nearly all the 20 somethings and 30 somethings at my work with little effort.

 

[angie_nrs]

I think being fit and healthy is something everyone should strive for, regardless of whether or not they are "preppers". Fit and healthy people are just happier. The mind and body are all one. That's why most people who have gone from unhealthy to healthy always pledge never to go back to how they were, even though they often do.

I am blessed to be fit and relatively healthy. I have done structured workouts for 20 years and have been consistent with it. I like working out and have incorporated it into my schedule. Hubby is more functionally fit than I am. He works long days doing physical labor. Sometimes we go out and cut wood just for kicks and I feel it the next day. I think most of the battle (at least for me) is eating healthy. I LOVE junk food and really try to limit that. I think many people struggle with that. You can't out-exercise a bad diet. Finding a balance in life between healthy eating and getting that body moving is important no matter how old you are.

 

[Meerkat]

So far I've been very blessed with good health and plenty of energy but once I slowed down I lost some of both.
I'm sure over 50 yr.s of smoking isn't helping either.
But I always stay busy and do a lot of digging , racking leaves for compost, lifting heavy plant containers, and janitor mop mopping [pushing a huge wet mop is a workout in itself ] . Plus I dance all the time to youtube music.

 

[CrackbottomLouis]

The 2 most important survival tools are your body and mind. All the preps in the world won't help unless those 2 are squared away.

 

[Rick]

The 2 most important survival tools are your body and mind. All the preps in the world won't help unless those 2 are squared away.

That's really profound way of expressing it!

 

[Dani]

I just live my life, plain and simple. I eat pretty healthy from the garden and the critters we raise. I spend the majority of my time out in the garden right now and that will continue, then will have preserving besides the normal feeding of critters and basic maintenance of them for their well being. You ever had to chase a skittish goat when she sees what all her friends had to go thru? Corners in pastures are good for a nice tackle. Or flip one cause he wont stand when clipping his hooves? Its not an easy task when my buck needs done. I much prefer the girls. Or heard a bull when he gets out? I don't like to run, but I can when need be. I may get lucky enough to sit on my butt on occasion to do some quilting.

People have an option to be healthy or not. If a person doesn't like what they see in a mirror or what their body is saying, it is up to them to change it. I have been on both sides of the scale. Personally I will not go back to what I once was because I was not comfortable with myself. Low self esteem is a BIG downfall. And to be honest, what I had to put myself to get to where I am now was not fun at all and that is one of the main reasons I say I will never go back. Motivation is key. You just got to find out what yours is.

 

[ssonb]

As you get older it does not matter what super workout machine or routine you use your muscle mass goes away. I had one workout guru tell us "Do you want to know what the best workout system is and it is 100% proven? ...It's the one you use!" When we get older you have to stop comparing yourself to 18 to 35 YO fit people. Focus on your approximate age group and shoot for the upper % of that.