Last Updated on April 15, 2016 by Michael Brockbank
A catastrophe can hit without warning anywhere in the world. If Nature has taught us one thing since the beginning of time is that you can’t take your surroundings for granted. Without being healthy, it may be more difficult to keep your family together and you’ll be less likely to survive. No, I’m not trying to be one of those end-of-the-world people who believe the planet is doomed tomorrow. However, I am trying to point out how fitness will play a key role in survival when the worst happens.
How Being Healthy Helps in Disasters
Being healthy is more than just slimming down and being able to fit into those old clothes from the 1990s. Yes, I have a couple of shirts still that I wouldn’t mind wearing. It’s a way of life that can keep you alive when things go to hell in a hand basket.
Endurance
The last thing you’ll want to do when the worst-case-scenario hits your home town is to run out of breath. Physical and mental exertion can be deadly when faced with bad situations. Muscle fatigue, irrational thoughts, lack of oxygen and more can and will prevent you from keeping yourself and the family safe in these types of conditions. Although the adrenaline rush will make up some of your failings in regards to health, it’s only going to take you so far.
Strength
Building muscle mass isn’t merely for bodybuilders. You don’t have to bulk up in order to build lean muscles. Increasing your physical strength will help you in everything from holding on to your loved ones to fighting off rioters and aggressors. It will also contribute to moving obstacles out of the way. As with endurance, adrenaline will only help you so much when your fight-or-flight reflex kicks in. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can enhance your physical prowess when that rush is beginning to decline.
Resistance to Injury
Healthy people are less likely to suffer the same debilitating injuries as others. For example, a healthy diet and exercise routine can strengthen your bones to make them more difficult to snap. A healthy body is also more resistant to infections, diseases and bacteria. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be next to invincible, but it will help stave off the effects if you’re injured during a catastrophe. Muscles and bones may knit faster and physical sicknesses will have less of an impact for those who are healthy.
Rational Thought
One of the worst things anyone can do in a catastrophe is panic. Keeping your wits together can save the life of yourself and the family. Being healthy will affect the way you process information. Your brain is just another organ that requires a certain level of nutrition and exercise in order to remain in optimum condition. A healthy lifestyle can help you focus the power of your mind and make better decisions in the most dire of situations.
Changing Your Mentality Towards Healthy Practices
A lot of people will associate being healthy with losing weight. In reality, healthiness goes beyond simply reducing your pant sizes. It can affect a wide scope of your life ranging from physical activity to making better decisions in your career. It’s all centered around how you view health and making it a priority. You don’t have to turn yourself into a sexy side of meat, but putting more effort into health will be monumental in a variety of ways.
Don’t Make it a Chore
Some people will fail at exercise and dieting because it becomes more of a chore. They begin viewing it as a mundane activity that isn’t as engaging as it once was. Do what you can to make fitness and healthy eating fun. For example, I mix up my workouts ranging from walks around the neighborhood to playing the Xbox Kinect. It’s all about keeping yourself engaged with a better way to live.
Make Your Goals Easier to Accomplish
Goals can be detrimental for maintaining health because many will set their expectations too high. You can say you want to lose 100 pounds, but it may take a long time and a lot of people will simply give up. When you break down your goals into easier to obtain chunks, it can give you something easy to work for with a higher level of gratification.
For example, I set daily goals for certain activities and calorie intake. Each day I meet these goals, I feel better about myself and it inspires me. This helps boost confidence as well as self-esteem. By meeting the smaller goals, you work towards the ultimate end game without focusing that far into the future. Set easier goals to accomplish that play into your end result.
Enhance Your Focus for Motivation
It’s OK if you simply want to lose weight, but there is nothing wrong with enhancing your focus. Personally, I am working towards looking awesome by Halloween in order to dress up like a superhero. Finding different things such as this can help you stay motivated to continue. For some, it’s about wearing clothes they haven’t seen in months or years. Others may want to look good in a bathing suit. What ever drives you to succeed is what you should focus your attention on.
Catastrophes Can Happen Anytime
Too many people are ill prepared when it comes to facing a catastrophe. Throughout history, people have been complacent in their surroundings and believed they were safe. Just look at Pompeii. Without warning, an earthquake could strike, a volcano could erupt or a tsunami could consume a chunk of land. Keeping yourself healthy can help you face those problems by improving your physical and mental capacities.
Some of the worst disasters in history could have had less of an impact on the lives of those who suffered if more people were physically and mentally equipped to handle the situation. Although being healthy won’t make you immune to such instances, it will contribute to survival. You don’t have to be a “doomsday prepper” in order to see the advantages of keeping yourself in fit condition.
What motivates you to be healthier? If a disaster happens right now, who you be a survivor or a burden?