The most overlooked prep. The out of shape, overweight prepper.

The most overlooked prep. The out of shape, overweight prepper.

  It recently occurred to me that I have been seriously lacking in one area of preparedness…me. Allow me to explain.  

Much like you, I have been building my preps for some time. I am well stocked on all of the things a prepper should be. I have read many books and articles about disaster preparedness. I have some bushcraft skills and am actively learning more. My family has taken steps to become more self sufficient. I have head knowledge of what to do when. The problem is, I am overweight and out of shape. And judging by the fact that we are the most obese nation on earth, I am guessing you are too. 

We don’t talk about it much in the prepping community. Someone might get there feelings hurt. But if you are overweight and out of shape you are not doing a good job of prepping, myself included. Our bodies are truly the one thing we need more than any piece of gear. To be honest if S were to HTF today, I would have a very rough go. I would be asking my body to do things it is no longer capable of. And not because of age or injury (all though there have been plenty), but because I have become comfortable. Being comfortable is not a good thing.  

I like to eat. It is something I truly enjoy. Good food and good beer are things I look forward to. I also like to cook. I like to experiment with different flavors to see how good I can make something taste. These are not bad things, but I tend to over indulge. I over eat because I like to. Plain and simple.  

I also lead a pretty sedentary life style. This didn’t used to be the case. I was very active in sports and enjoyed a good work out. A life changing injury took most of that away, or at least I let it. While I can no longer do sports, there are many things I can still do. I just chose not to. That is the simple fact we all need to realize. It’s the little choices we make that have a big overall impact. Its the extra cookie, or choosing  a can of pop over a drink of water. They add up over time. My poor choices put me at the heaviest I have ever been. But that is going to change today. I am a prepper and I need to prep myself.  

I am starting on the diabetic diet. I am not a diabetic, I am however, making a lifestyle change to eat the correct portions which is what the diabetic diet is all about. I did this a few years ago and lost 33 lbs in just 12 weeks. Its kind of disgusting that something as simple as eating the correct portion can have that big of an effect. I am also going to start exercising again. To motivate myself I am going to run a 5k for charity in May.  I am not a runner. I HATE running. I will not run on my own. I know that I need to, and that the money that I raise by doing so will change others lives. It’s the motivation to help others which will drive me to run.  

I will chart my progress over the next year. I hope that I will motivate you to make the changes needed for you to live a healthier lifestyle. I have a LONG way to go. I need to drop 75lbs and get back into shape so that I will be able to use my preps should the need arise. I am no longer going to turn a blind eye to this prep…and neither should you.