More often than not when prepping we take great care lining up the proper food, water, and other supplies and completely forget about the most important weapon you have in your prepper arsenal: your own body.
Your body is by far the most important piece of any prepper plan because without it, the rest of your work really isn’t worth much, now is it? By keeping yourself physically fit you give yourself the best chance to carry out any plans you have and to react to any surprises that you might encounter.
When it comes to general exercise, running gives you the most bang for your buck. It builds muscles, helps strengthen your cardiovascular system and, of course, helps you put the most miles between you and whatever disaster you’re trying to avoid. By becoming a runner, you gain health and become a better prepper. Here are some of the benefits you can gain from being a running prepper.
1. Greater Health
This one is a pretty big no-brainer, but running makes you healthier, and health is quite possibly the single-most important prep there is. Health is why you store food, water, and medical supplies, so why not bolster your health now by running?
Cardio workouts like running increase the strength of your heart and total blood volume, giving you a larger, stronger heart. This helps you withstand more illnesses and injuries, and overall just keeps you feeling better.
2. Better Endurance
Your bug-out plan might include a 4×4 truck, motorcycle, or ATV, but there are scenarios in which those things would either be out of commission or unreachable. This doesn’t mean you wouldn’t still have the need to get out of Dodge in a hurry though, which is why becoming a runner now is so important.
Knowing how your body copes with running longer distances can help you gauge how far you can hike, and if need be, flat out run. Being able to sustain a solid running pace for an extended period of time is something many people cannot do, so if you can do it, there’s a good chance it’ll put you ahead of those trying to do you harm.
3. Stealthy Prepping
OpSec is an important part of prepping. You don’t want the neighbors knowing that you’re a prepper, lest they come to your house when the SHTF. This means that any prepping you can do without attracting attention is the best kind of prepping.
Nobody that sees you avidly running through your neighborhood will think you’re doing it to be a better prepper, making it the most OpSec-esque piece to your prepping plan. You can train as much as you want without anyone giving you a second look. For those of us in apartments or heavily populated areas, anything that doesn’t raise an eyebrow should make you very happy.
4. Space Blankets!
If you decide to get out there and enter some longer-distance races you’ll often be given a Mylar sheet, or space blanket at the finish line. These are meant to keep you from getting chilled from the sweat and enormous strain you just put your body under. While these are great for this purpose, they’re even better for prepping!
Save these blankets and use them in emergencies. Keep a few in your car/truck and make sure a few are in your bug-out bag as well. These are great as emergency blankets and make even better insulation in makeshift shelters.
5. Stronger Muscles
Running not only builds your overall health, but it builds important muscles, too. While you’ll need to go to the gym to get that heavy bag easily on your back, running gives you the muscles you need for long hikes and runs, which in a world without power or gasoline, will come in very handy.
Leg muscles are what will propel you through a world that’s post-EOTWAWKI, and while others are trying to build these muscles on the fly, as a runner you’ll already have them and be faster and more agile than the others.
Overall, health is vital to survival, and just like any other resource used for prepping, you should gain it now while it’s still easy. There won’t be gyms and half marathons and protein drinks when the SHTF, so get healthy now while the getting’s good. Start running today using a program like the Couch to 5K program, or C25k. It’ll get you running a 5K in 9 weeks and is good for anyone that is fit enough to start an exercise program. Start today and you’ll be even more ready for what the world can throw at you.