10 April 2014, 16:23
This is possibly taking a major risk, as we have been getting along so well recently, but how do you see the role of fitness for when TSHTF and in life post SHTF?
10 April 2014, 16:23
10 April 2014, 16:53
I think fitness is important - but it is also relative. A fit 65 year old is not going to be able to do the work of a fit 25 year old, but he would probably be able to do more than an unfit 25 year old. Likewise an unfit 65 year old wont be able to do the work of an unfit 25 year old.
You will also have people who are unfit due to no fault of their own, maybe through illness or accident, in which case they need to prep accordingly
Also, those fit young 25 year olds who are in a group need to plan for the less fit members in your group, ageing parents, young kids, or even just the member who has eaten too many pies.
Personally I think fitness is important, most people aren't nearly as fit as they imagine themselves to be, but being unfit is not a death sentence either - as long as you prep to take it into account
In my experience a lot of people, including preppers who should know better, overestimate their fitness by a big margin and in doing so they are overestimating their abilities
In essence though it's pretty obvious that the fitter you are the better your chance of staying healthy and/or achieving your objectives
You will also have people who are unfit due to no fault of their own, maybe through illness or accident, in which case they need to prep accordingly
Also, those fit young 25 year olds who are in a group need to plan for the less fit members in your group, ageing parents, young kids, or even just the member who has eaten too many pies.
Personally I think fitness is important, most people aren't nearly as fit as they imagine themselves to be, but being unfit is not a death sentence either - as long as you prep to take it into account
In my experience a lot of people, including preppers who should know better, overestimate their fitness by a big margin and in doing so they are overestimating their abilities
In essence though it's pretty obvious that the fitter you are the better your chance of staying healthy and/or achieving your objectives
10 April 2014, 16:59
most people these days have a sedentary lifestyle, mostly around computers and technology in general, humans are more unfit these days compared to the 50s and 60s, post SHTF we will be having a more physical lifestyle...we would need to to get everything done, so if someone wasn't fit before SHTF they will certainly be more fit after it.
10 April 2014, 17:26
Smiffy's right fitness is relative. But being as fit as we can be all the time is an advantage.
Fitness is part of my prepping.
Not fitness as in membership of the local gym.
I try to keep fit in an every day sense. Walking stairs rather than taking the lift. Weekend hikes and cycling. Lots of DIY is also proving to be very effective.
If there was to be a sudden collapse, I want to be fit enough to handle the extra efforts that will be required to get through the initial stages.
BP, in the 50s and 60's life was without the creature comforts of today. A return to that lifestyle will harden up a lot of couch potatoes.... and those it fails to harden-up, it'll kill.
Fitness is part of my prepping.
Not fitness as in membership of the local gym.
I try to keep fit in an every day sense. Walking stairs rather than taking the lift. Weekend hikes and cycling. Lots of DIY is also proving to be very effective.
If there was to be a sudden collapse, I want to be fit enough to handle the extra efforts that will be required to get through the initial stages.
BP, in the 50s and 60's life was without the creature comforts of today. A return to that lifestyle will harden up a lot of couch potatoes.... and those it fails to harden-up, it'll kill.
10 April 2014, 17:32
"fitness" is a very relative term.
When I was in the Army I was training as an officer, therefore most of my companions had been to university. Many of them had been members of sporting teams as a way to gain a free education on sports scholarship. They had also joined the officers training corps to get a bit more money and have a guaranteed job on graduation. Probably not the best planning in the middle of a war.
As simi-professional athletes they were fit, very fit. Many could run their 2 mile jog in combat boots in 10 minutes and max out the combat PT test, bench press twice their body weight and all that bla, bla, bla....
Their only flaw was that their metabolism was so high they could not carry enough food on long term foot patrols to sustain themselves. A couple of days on our 1500 calorie patrol diet and they were as weak as kittens and often had problems dealing with their "hunger issues", which led to bad decision making and problems with "personal interactions" (they were so damn crabby you could not stand being around them).
The best of out crew were the skinny (called lean and mean by the NCO cadre) farm boys who did only moderately well on the physical testing but could go for days on whatever was thrown their way.
We have a joke over here about hiking in bear country. You don't have to be the fastest hiker to escape a hungry bear, you just have to be faster than the guy behind you.
Survival is the same way. You do not have to be in better physical condition than anyone else to survive, you just have to be good enough, and a wee bit smarter then the guy across the road that is starving.
During WW2 the areas under occupation found out just how little a human could get and still sustain life. When they shut down the Warsaw Ghetto the doctors began documenting the diet and endurance of their patients. They found that if a human could get 500 calories daily they would last for 6 months before they became incapacitated.
And guess what??? People that were slightly overweight added one day per pound to their lifespans!!!
Its called a "fat reserve" for a reason. I prefer to call it a mobile food storage system.
When I was in the Army I was training as an officer, therefore most of my companions had been to university. Many of them had been members of sporting teams as a way to gain a free education on sports scholarship. They had also joined the officers training corps to get a bit more money and have a guaranteed job on graduation. Probably not the best planning in the middle of a war.
As simi-professional athletes they were fit, very fit. Many could run their 2 mile jog in combat boots in 10 minutes and max out the combat PT test, bench press twice their body weight and all that bla, bla, bla....
Their only flaw was that their metabolism was so high they could not carry enough food on long term foot patrols to sustain themselves. A couple of days on our 1500 calorie patrol diet and they were as weak as kittens and often had problems dealing with their "hunger issues", which led to bad decision making and problems with "personal interactions" (they were so damn crabby you could not stand being around them).
The best of out crew were the skinny (called lean and mean by the NCO cadre) farm boys who did only moderately well on the physical testing but could go for days on whatever was thrown their way.
We have a joke over here about hiking in bear country. You don't have to be the fastest hiker to escape a hungry bear, you just have to be faster than the guy behind you.
Survival is the same way. You do not have to be in better physical condition than anyone else to survive, you just have to be good enough, and a wee bit smarter then the guy across the road that is starving.
During WW2 the areas under occupation found out just how little a human could get and still sustain life. When they shut down the Warsaw Ghetto the doctors began documenting the diet and endurance of their patients. They found that if a human could get 500 calories daily they would last for 6 months before they became incapacitated.
And guess what??? People that were slightly overweight added one day per pound to their lifespans!!!
Its called a "fat reserve" for a reason. I prefer to call it a mobile food storage system.
10 April 2014, 17:36
(10 April 2014, 17:26)Lightspeed Wrote: [ -> ]BP, in the 50s and 60's life was without the creature comforts of today. A return to that lifestyle will harden up a lot of couch potatoes.... and those it fails to harden-up, it'll kill.
yes, that's what I had in mind.
10 April 2014, 22:39
over the years iv done all sorts to keep fit , now 50 i want to be able to do 2miles cross country and a bit of boxing training to keep fit.
as an x bull in a china shop,i now like to use whats between me ears [not much lol ] than bruit force.
as an x bull in a china shop,i now like to use whats between me ears [not much lol ] than bruit force.
10 April 2014, 23:10
Having a good base level of fitness is what's required. People who have generally been fit and active all their lives have a good base level. When they get older and a little overweight and less active, it doesn't take long to get that level of fitness back again.
I'm at least 2 stone overweight (probably nearer 3) but that didn't stop me doing 40 miles last Saturday on The 4 Inns (Holmbridge to Buxton). It took longer than any previous year but I still finished and actually felt a lot better at the end of the event than I did at the beginning. I've walked to work twice this week as well so that's 54 miles in my legs this week yet I feel way fitter than even 7 days ago? I don't feel anywhere near as tired as usual either? Might keep this exercise thing going a bit longer.
I'm at least 2 stone overweight (probably nearer 3) but that didn't stop me doing 40 miles last Saturday on The 4 Inns (Holmbridge to Buxton). It took longer than any previous year but I still finished and actually felt a lot better at the end of the event than I did at the beginning. I've walked to work twice this week as well so that's 54 miles in my legs this week yet I feel way fitter than even 7 days ago? I don't feel anywhere near as tired as usual either? Might keep this exercise thing going a bit longer.