I wanted to share my personal story and share my thoughts surrounding physical fitness as it pertains to ensuring you are prepared for any situation, especially in today’s world of uncertainty.
When I left the military many years ago, it was hard for me in the beginning to decompress and adjust to civilian life. I was still very regimented, up every day at 05:00, exercising, eating right, talking to civilians like I was still in the military. Then one day, I just started slipping, sleeping in, having one to many beers, not exercising, and just falling into an abyss. One day I looked into the mirror and I was disgusted at what I saw. I then walked into the bathroom and stepped onto the scale and could not believe my eyes, I had gained 30LBS and I felt it too. I was out of breath, joints were killing me, my concentration was off, and I wasn’t sleeping at all. I said to myself, how can I defend my family, or be prepared for situations outside of the home if I am this out of shape, I said to myself “ENOUGH”, time to get back to business.
I started to get back into my regimen, up at 5:00 AM to exercise every morning. I cut everything out of my diet that was slowing me down, pasta, popcorn, potato chips, beer. I will say it was extremely hard for me to get back into it again, it’s a 90/10 game, 90% mental/10% physical. You struggle, you fall, you get back up and get it done. It took me over 6 months to get back into shape, and looking back, it was the right decision to get fit, as the world was about the change.
2020 the year of “chaos and turmoil”. This year was like something out of a sci-fi novel, a virus was unleashed upon the world, the country was locked down, millions lost their jobs, crime skyrocketed, people struggling to feed their families and pay their rent or mortgage. Then the summer of 2020 began, civil unrest, rioters burning neighborhoods, looting stores, attacking the blue, taking over city blocks and turning them into their “New World Order” view, while suffering little to no consequences. I couldn’t believe my eyes, I couldn’t believe the country that I fought and bled for, deteriorated into this chaos. As the civil unrest continued, I said to myself “THANK GOD I AM READY”. I was ready mentally and physically to protect my family and home from anyone who was willing to do harm to us.
I know many people say I don’t have time to work out, or I don’t have room for workout equipment, etc. my answer is simple “DON’T MAKE EXCUSES”. You can go out and buy a small box of free weights that do not take up much room. You can go for brisk walks or do some hiking to get your cardio in, while enjoying the outdoors with your family.
Physical fitness is part of shooting, if you can’t move and react quickly with sharp mental acuity, the odds are stacked against you. How are you going to defend yourself and your family in these uncertain times if you are not fit? The question you should ask yourself is: “Am I ready?”
