PrepperHealth: An Exercise Plan

An Exercise Plan

We here at 3BY are truly on the train that the best prep ever is to stay healthy and fit. The second car of that train is “…and the single best way to stay healthy and fit is to get regular exercise. Still, nobody’s got endless time and effort to spend on fitness. Everybody’s optimal exercise plan would be a little different, but Salty asked me to share what I do and why, to give some food for thought.

Any plan needs one element, or it can’t be successful

The plan you’ll do is better than any plan that will only exist on paper (or electrons). Exercise is not a case of ‘go hard or go home’. It’s also not ‘my way or the highway’. It’s much more along the lines of ‘moving is better than sitting’. Two or three brisk ten minute walks with the dog is demonstrably much better for overall health than nothing. The other elements may be goals, but don’t let them get in the way of your doing what you will do.

In service of this, think about what it is you like to do, or at least don’t actively dislike. I bike a lot, skate a lot, hike some. When weather permits, I really like biking and skating, and I really like being able to go cool places that must be visited on foot, so those things work for me. I hate running, so I don’t. Maybe you prefer playing some hoops with the guys or dancing your hind parts off; it’s all good.

The Three Prongs of an exercise plan

Strength, aerobic conditioning (good heart and lungs), and flexibility. Be strong enough to do what you want, conditioned enough to keep doing it for as long as you want or need to, and flexible enough not to break yourself in the process. Those are the three main elements of physical fitness so they are all built into my plan.

Here’s a podcast that we recorded that talks about weightlifting, give it a listen as you read:

Strength

OK, sometimes you gotta take one for the team. “The team” in this case is all my other body parts. I do not like weight lifting, never have. I do it twice a week and have for decades. Why? Because I want to be able to walk upright when I’m 80. I don’t want to break bones. I want to be able to do what I need to do (like huck a wheelchair in and out of the car at need).

Weightlifting doesn’t guarantee no broken bones, but it’s the best way to improve my odds. Twice a week, about 50 min worth each time, is good enough according to my plan. If I have heavy work to do, like digging garden or moving a lot of snow, that counts (and I don’t mind doing it). 

Aerobic conditioning

The point of this is to give small, regular doses of stress to the heart and blood vessels so they’re motivated to stay good at their jobs: heart strong, blood vessels pliable. In the summer, this one’s my favorite: Creating my own wind chill factor as I roam the countryside on the bike, rolling down a trail on skates, hucking a pack up a mountain (because it’s There!)… o yeah! Now *that* is a PLAN!

Winter isn’t as much fun, being stuck in a gym more, so I up the intensity to allow me to cut back on the time. 40 min of alternating sprints/recoveries does the ole ticker a world of good, and gets me home in well under an hour. I plan for at least one ‘hard but short’ workout a week; the rest is whatever I feel like doing.

Flexibility

Stretching was optional when I was in my 30s. It’s not anymore. If I start slacking off on the stretching, new things start to hurt. So, I do some every day. I may be slow, but “keep doing it or it hurts” I can figure out. The plan with stretching is to take it to the border of ‘uncomfortable’, but not cross the border.

I’m really glad I’ve had the habit, because some odd falls in my collision sport have landed me in positions that only regular stretching let me take without pulling something apart.

Rest.

Hey, bodies need some rest. I average about one day a week. I give myself a second if I feel really worn or life totally doesn’t cooperate, but that’s a rare thing. (It’s not that I think a second day off is too much; it’s that I sleep better if I exercise most days. I like sleep.)

So that’s my plan, shared not because it or I am particularly special; just an example of one plan that works. I hope you’ll make your own plan and keep to it, because I wish you well.