There's Fit—and then there's "Apocalypse Fit"

Here is a rule that applies to everyday life, and also to the life in which the remains of civilized society unravel like a sweater's thread: movement and flow, strength and flexibility, and the ability to adapt are absolutely necessary.

The laws of nature show us that water is both the gentlest and strongest force on earth. But society encourages us to be like small, brittle rocks, blown from here to there. Worn down by external forces. Crumbling at the least bit of oppositional force. The way to true survival, then, is to be like water. To be the potter and not the lump of clay.

Whether you believe that we are currently in a state of global collapse or not, understanding how to train the body and mind to adapt and thrive in the face of hardship and uncertainty is incredibly important. You have to be more than toned abs and big biceps—I call it apocalypse fit. It's about being able to face what comes with strength and humility, and to react to formidable forces with power and flexibility. It's not just about your physical body, either.

What The Preppers Are Missing

Even though most preppers spend tons of time (and money) getting ready for shit to hit the fan, one thing almost always overlooked is physical health and stamina. Most preppers plan to be holed up in a bunker or compound somewhere, surrounded by guns and cans of high-sodium food. The threat of a pandemic is rarely considered (except as one more reason to have tight security and lots of ammo), and physical fitness is usually an afterthought. Also rarely considered are mental health and spiritual health. These factors are essential for surviving in times when our lazy modern lifestyle is no longer a possibility.

Spiritual Health, Not "God Stuff"

A lot of people who are atheist or agnostic misunderstand spiritual health as organized religion or "God Stuff", but you can breathe easy. When I say "spiritual health", I mean consciously seeking moments of silence and meditation(whether you are religious or not), communing with nature, and considering the world beyond our little bubble. Literally, stopping to smell the flowers. Allowing our brains to rest and our connections to the world around us to reset and strengthen will help greatly in times of stress and hardship.

Self-Defense

Unfortunately, as the countries we live in become more expensive and oppressive (and the quality of life decreases), the common people (that is basically the 99%,) become angrier, increasingly desperate, and less risk averse. These conditions historically tend to lead to more violence, but are especially probable now. Citizens of developed countries like the US that have generally been wealthy for the last couple of generations will begin to fall apart at the seams when luxuries that were previously standard and low-cost are no longer within their financial reach. When food and housing scarcity begin to affect the working class and middle class more and more, chaos will eventually win. Self defense (especially for women, people of color, and LGBTQ folks) will become a necessary skill. Learning how to defend yourself physically without relying on the police or outside help is a way to increase your resilience in these times. Martial arts are great, but classes are usually too expensive for most to afford (often between $100-$500 a month), so it is best to look for a free intro self-defense class locally and then build on that knowledge with regular practice from YouTube videos or with a friend and an instructional book.

What's Weight Got To Do With It?

Because of the constant messages about beauty standards and body weight hammered into our heads by our capitalist society, many of us believe that the only way to achieve true health is by either being skinny or being super-ripped. But when it comes to survival, having some fat on your body for your body to break down for sustenance if need be is best. Other important factors to being apocalypse fit are having cardiovascular endurance, being able to lift heavy things, having the ability to sprint if need be, and having good flexibility and mobility.

I have seen many muscular men with tiny legs and a poor range of motion who couldn't even bend down to touch their toes. At the other end of the spectrum, there are people who are skinny and can do yoga or run, but can't lift even a small percentage of their weight. There are also overweight and skinny people who are incredibly sedentary and haven't truly exerted themselves since high school Phys Ed. The point here is that body fat and weight isn't the end-all-be-all determinant of health and fitness that the general public and the powers that be would like you to think it is.

No matter your body type, being apocalypse fit is doable for you. It requires dedication and a body-mind-spirit focused holistic mindset that takes into account every aspect of health and fitness to increase your overall resilience.

"In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment. —Charles Darwin

What About Food?

Imagine that there is a farm on one side of where you live and a ranch on the other. The farm has all kinds of fruits, vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, and even edible wild plants that grow within a few hundred miles of you. The ranch has all kinds of meat, from fish from local waters to cattle, chickens (and eggs) and even insects like crickets and mealworms. If everyone reading this stuck to what could be found at those two hypothetical places and left out everything else, most (if not all) of you would become much healthier. As far as resilience and survival goes, sticking to foods that are more likely to be available locally if the shelves are empty puts you at an advantage. It also leaves out potential dietary troublemakers like sugar and processed food. Sticking to what could (potentially) be hunted, grown from seed, raised for protein, or foraged is your best bet for better health now and resilience later.

Chop Wood, Carry Water

The phrase above is a Buddhist saying, but I am going to use it (pretty) literally here. Think of any scenario in which you are not able to rely on others or the government to provide for you, whether it is a disaster, an long electric outage, or the collapse of society. Imagine what you would have to do in that situation, to survive. Water isn't coming out of the tap. There is no electricity. Roads are blocked or closed down. Grocery stores have run out of food. How will you stay warm (if it's winter) or keep from getting heat exhaustion (if it's summer)? How will you eat or find food? Can you hunt? Can you walk for miles carrying water or supplies? Can you chop wood for a fire? What if you need to get up on your roof? How is your balance and agility? Your exercise plan should prepare you for these situations and more. Pushing, pulling, carrying, squatting, walking, sprinting, myofascial release and stretching should be the backbone of your physical activity/workout plan.

The Importance Of Community

So far, we've covered how you can become healthier and more prepared for uncertainty, but let's talk about community. When I say "community" here, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to somehow meet 30 like-minded people in your area and create a community (although if possible, that would be great!). However, no one does as well alone as they do with others. For instance, if you have a physical limitation that prevents you from being able to chop wood, but your partner or a friend doesn't have that limitation, that task can fall to them. In addition, having a buddy to get healthier with is a huge plus, because the peer pressure and advertising encouraging us to eat processed, crappy food and live sedentary lives is tough (but not impossible) to fight against alone.

Whether you are wanting to be able to adapt to new and difficult challenges in our near future, if you are concerned about health insurance prices and availability and want to take your health into your own hands, or even if you just want to be fitter in general—getting "apocalypse fit" will check those boxes, and you'll feel more self-confident as we move into an uncertain future.