Literally. Or at least a nice walk. It’ll do you good.
The first chapter in “Disaster Prep 101” covers your health; the many reasons it’s your most important preparedness foundation and the simple ways you can improve yours.
Here are but a few disaster-related reasons good health is important:
1. In a disaster, the first thing to hit you is stress. The better your health, the easier the stress will be on you. (PTSD mitigation and prevention.)
2. If you are injured or infected by whatever the emergency is, the healthier you are, the faster you’ll snap back.
3. During any physical labor for search and rescue, cleanup, helping victims, etc., the greater your stamina the easier things will be for you.
4. Being healthy in general keeps you out of hospitals and frees up room for victims of future mishaps.
Health is your foundation for all other preparedness measures and you should start there first. It’s the good foundation on which your “house of readiness and self reliance” is built. So start with you and your well-being first.
In fact, focus on your health before doing pretty much anything else since it’s top of your priorities list.
We hear lots from people trying to sell us on the doomsday philosophy that society is going to collapse and you need to hoard gold, silver, and jewels. As soon as we ask these people questions like “Well how are you going to get full market value for your hoarded gold if society has collapsed and the functional economy along with it?” or “Then how come your trying to sell your gold, silver, and jewelry?” they usually clam up.
Then once we explain to them that the best investments you can make are in yourself; your health and well-being and your skill sets since “no matter where you go, there you are,” we find they start to listen. Always, always, always invest in you and your family first before anything else.
To help, here’s a quick priority list for you:
A. Do something to improve your health every day. Take a walk, take the stairs, cut down on junk food or vices.
B. Get the basics for your family. Get a starter kit (most people call them 72-hour kits), a smoke detector, and a fire extinguisher.
C. Create your basic family emergency plan.
D. Invest in your skill sets. Take a CPR class, a first aid class, learn more about family financial planning, or take a cooking class so you’ll know how to make your food supplies last. Even learning to cut hair is a barterable skill.
E. Expand on each of the above. Gather gear as needed, take more classes, and always put you and your health first.
Skip the gold and jewels and take a hike!! Focus on you. You’ll be all the better for it in the short run and long run.
Paul Purcell – “Disaster Prep 101”