I am just beginning my journey into the prepping world and it is amazing when I look back over the last year just how far I have come. Being only 22 years old, and living on my own since 18 away at school and living in a large metropolitan area, it wasn’t my first priority when I first left home. I went through my first few years living the typical college life. However, two years in, traveled to China for a while and it really opened my eyes as to how messed up the government of that country is. What started my transition was seeing the correlation between how they were and the path we were going down in the USA. After I got back, I started a small business (a fitness center) while still in college and became engaged to my soon to be wife. All of these things really put my life into perspective and I knew I had to make some adjustments. Thankfully, I had grown up in a rural part of the country on a farm and had developed several skill sets that one would not have growing up in the city. I knew how to fish, trap, survive in the wilderness, and was especially proficient with firearms. I had also grown up in a very conservative thinking Christian family that kept my morals in check. I was always very into politics and always followed the daily news very closely. About a year ago at the age of 20, the fire became ignited for having the survival mindset. Seeing the changes taking place both in this country and around the world, I knew things would eventually “change”. I picked up on the inter-connectivity of the entire world and one small domino falling could bring the whole thing down. All politics aside, I knew in 2008 we would be heading down the wrong path and it would probably never get any better. Well, here we are… read the news lately? I made a few decisions about what I needed to do and how to live and I never turned back.
I did all the first steps that everyone does… I bought all the most popular survival books, learned about what to store and how to store it. I even went as far as planning for if I would have to leave the country and learning about second identifications and legal means to change your identity. I purchased a lever action .30-30, a bolt-action Savage .308 Winchester long distance rifle with a Leupold scope, a Smith and Wesson M&P .45 along with plenty of ammo. I bought food that can be stored, water purification, and traded in my car for a Dodge Dakota 4×4 with a standard transmission. Unfortunately, I am not to the point that I can live at my retreat due to my business. However, I have moved from downtown to the outskirts of the city on the side of the city that is heading towards my retreat, which is shared by a couple of very close friends with similar mindsets. I also have four routes that I can take to my retreat if necessary. I’ve done all of the basics recommended on this site and many other sources. However, I feel as a young man that my journey is just beginning.
One aspect of the survival mindset that I feel is often not touched on enough is physical fitness and the necessity of it for a SHTF [1] situation. Also, I want to touch on the usefulness and practicality of many bodybuilding supplements that are designed for nutrition and supplementation that can be extremely useful for survival situations. With fitness being my background and my company, I have a very good idea of the how important it is. I see a lot of talk on this web site and others for preparing for TEOTWAWKI [2]… and especially the moment life changes and we all rush to enact our survival plans. Grabbing guns and supplies with a BOB, packing a vehicle with everything we can and making the mad dash for our retreat. Well let me ask you… If need be, would you be able to make it to your retreat on foot with a full load of gear on your back? No matter how tricked out your gun is, would you be able to sprint a mile to a position, retreat if necessary (by sprinting), and all the while still be able to shoot? Do you have the strength in your back and core to put a huge rucksack on it and carry it long distances? There are so many plans we make to WTSHTF [3], but can we physically carry them out if we have to? I recommend that everyone do a combination of strength training and cardiovascular work. Very likely in a survival situation, we will not have to do endurance long distance running. It will either be fast paced walking, or sprinting. So we should be prepared to do either. Also, strength will help you in bugging out and in terms of usefulness after TEOTWAWKI. Those who are strong will survive, small and weak people will not be needed or useful. Am I advocating that we all look like bodybuilders? Not all, that is even less useful. However, having a lean, muscular build will be optimal for a survival situation. You want to be a combination of lean, fast, strong, and slightly muscular. If you are looking to be in incredible shape, I recommend you check out www.sealfit.com [4]. It is an incredible workout program that will get you prepared to be in shape. As they say, any one can have desire to be a great warrior, but are you fit enough?
More on the topic of fitness. I want to discuss something that I have yet to see on this board. The usefulness of supplements… There are several supplements that are designed for active lifestyles and people who work out that are extremely useful. The things I will talk about are: vitamins, nutritional support supplements, protein shakes, and weight gainers, and testosterone enhancers (not steroids)
Vitamins:
Essential for optimal function of your body on a cellular level. Regulates many activities and is important even when combined with a nutritional diet. These become vitally important when we have a diet that is not rich in natural vitamins and minerals (eating stored food). With a diet that is likely for the short term to be void of fresh fruits and vegetables, these nutrients will be very important. A brand that I use is Apex. It has a 97% absorption rate and it timed-released, which is far better than the grocery store vitamins that have about a 20-30% absorption rate. They run about $10-$15 for a two month supply.
Nutritional Support:
Fish Oils: Essential for brain health and heart health
Glucosamine: We will be much more active when SHTF, we will want this for joint support due once again a diet that is not nutritionally balanced.
Calcium: Unless you have a farm with animals that can produce milk, you won’t have any… Enough said
Anti-Oxidants: Prevents cancer and other ailments, found mostly in fresh-fruits, which will be hard to come by unless you grow them.
There are many brands to choose from for these, however, since my fitness center distributes Apex and it is proven, I use it.
Whey/Soy Protein:
Very easy source of a high protein food. Whey protein is derived from milk, where Soy is naturally derived from Soy. I carry this in my BOB [5] as an easy to carry source of food that is high in protein to prevent muscle breakdown in the event that I have to hoof it to my retreat. Also very useful at the retreat for long term nutrition. Best brands for this are Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey (can be bought in 2 lb to 10 lb), or Muscle Milk since it has some carbs and Vitamins/Minerals as well.
Weight Gainers:
My essential food for when SHTF, bulk weight gainer shakes. These shakes are not useful for most people in a normal situation due to the fact they are extremely high in calories, carbs, and protein and will make most people get fat if they are used regularly. However, in a survival situation, what more could you ask for? A compact source of food that is extremely high in calories, carbohydrates, protein, tons of vitamins and minerals, and can easy be mixed in water. Literally, we are talking about 600-1000 calories with 50 grams of protein, 100 grams of carbs (both simple and complex), packed with vitamins and minerals, and is about 3/4 cup of powder that can be mixed with water in a medium sized bottle. You can’t really find anything even close to that in terms of size to nutrient ratio.
My two favorite brands for this are Ultimate Nutrition’s Iso Mass Xtreme Gainer or Optimum Nutrition’s Serious Mass. Both of these weight gainers come in 10 pound tubs. These babies have an expiration date about 5 years down the road after purchasing, and could probably last longer if needed and come completely sealed. My retreat has countless jugs of this stuff.
Testosterone Boosters
I have some of these planned for the time period immediately after the collapse. The amount of stress on the body, both physically and mentally will be incredible. Except for those who have been in extended periods of consistent combat (several months), none of us have probably ever experienced anything like this before. Having your natural testosterone increased to the highest optimal level will help you make it through much better. Your body will heal quicker from strain and you will be better mentally prepared to hand everything.
What I recommend for this is Tribulus, ZMA, and T-Bomb.
All in all, I hope this has brought some ideas to people about the usefulness of supplements and the necessity of many of them after the world changes for good. God Bless and be prepared.