Have you ever found yourself looking out your window at a beautiful sunny and 75 kind of day, and thought to yourself; “Man I wish I could be out there just taking in the day in a way befitting the beauty I see through this 72” x 48” looking glass?” I know I do, and not just a little bit, either. Even as I sit here talking to you, I find myself looking past the neighbors house and the bustling life surrounding my work space, and think to myself why am I not out there, in the wild.

Mother nature wants us to get out there, strolling her curves and exploring her depths, but if modern life and the steady creep of aging has hit you as hard as it has hit me, we might need a refresher on the best ways to whip ourselves back into shape!

Where to Begin With Your Fitness:

Now, I am a staunch believer in using calisthenics and bodyweight exercises as the primary means by which I achieve my goals of being in great primal shape! Primal shape being in good natural shape, or a lean mean animal, ready to hunt down an elk in the Rocky’s, or run down a whitetail deer in PA. Don’t laugh, I have a good story about that, which includes the Great Depression, lack of food, ammo, and my great uncle. He never really got the shooting thing down to the point he or his brothers were comfortable potentially wasting a round on dinner, so instead, they chose to run the deer down until the game was tired enough to lasso to a tree harvest for the dinner table.

He, and his 16 brothers were all great examples of what it means to be in great primal shape. Getting back to their hunter gatherer roots and providing for their families. But the question remains. How do we get back to that?

Let’s start by identifying some problems we may encounter as you step out into mother nature’s bosom! Things like a rolled ankle or spraining/hyperextending one of the many joints in your legs. All of which are common and quite possible for even the most avid outdoorsmen, and none of which you want to occur since your legs are your primary mode of transportation in the wilderness, nine times out of ten! There are ways, though, to prevent these things. Through simple preparation of the body for the tasks at hand, using simple and non intrusive exercises from the comfort of your home or neighborhood, and you do not have to become a gym nut.

1. Run or Walk

This will build muscle around your knees and ankles that will help to prevent injury. If you run, you will not want to run every day, but at least three times a week for about 1-2 miles. Though, you should walk a minimum of 6,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which equates to about 4 or 5 miles a day. In addition, if you would like to improve the work on those joints, try to walk or jog in soft sand!

2. Build Range of Motion

Improving your range of motion is key in preventing injury in the wilderness, but how does one build on range of motion? Well, for starters, I would invest in some resistance bands to strengthen your leg muscles. Just make sure you are working the muscle through its complete range of motion, or you might be causing more harm than good. Additionally, another good way to improve on building range of motion and strengthening your joints, is to stand on a tennis ball or balance disc as you watch TV or read a book. This simple act for a few minutes a day will help build the smaller stabilizer muscles around your ankles and knees, thus helping to prevent injuries in those areas.

3. Crunches

Crunches strengthen your core which, in turn, allows you to find better balance on those uneven nooks and crannies you find exploring Mother Nature's Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing… (Hills, Valleys, Ridges, Saddles, and Depressions).

4. Squats and Lunges

As long as you focus on keeping your back straight throughout the duration of your reps, these are also great exercises that will help to strengthen your core and prepare you for that inevitable encounter with uneven terrain.

5. Push-ups

Push-ups are a great way to build good lean upper body muscle that will help you carry heavy packs or get out of sticky situations in the wilderness. It never hurts to build upper body muscle through bodyweight exercises as a means to increase your chances of survival from animals, falls, or the occasional fallen log… and not the kind that requires the odd baby wipe or toilet paper. Upper body strength is a must and only will help you when it comes to your next outing!

6. Cardio

Imagine yourself walking a trail and patient zero for the zombie apocalypse jumps out of the bush next to you! If you are not well versed in the art of cardio, congrats, you are patient number one. I mean come on, if you have not watched zombieland, which is essentially the pinnacle of survival guides, it is rule numero uno! In all seriousness, though, cardio is an essential skill to focus on for endurance walking the trail. We all love our time with mother nature, and the longer we can stay walking through her bush, the longer we can hold off that sorrowful parting when the office calls us back to work.

7. Step-ups

Unless you live in the great plains, there is not really such a thing as flat land. With that being said, you have to be prepared to walk up those hills and mountains. Mother Earth’s beauty is not just the flat lands, but from the heights of the tallest mountains. This simple exercise, which could be as easy as just walking the stairs instead of taking an elevator or escalator. Additionally, you can go to your local park and step up on the seat of a park bench, initially without weight. Over time, as you wish to increase your abilities, and ultimately your survivability, you will want to include a backpack with some weight into the mix. This will increase the amount of gear you can carry up and down those beautiful terrain features, which can contribute to your overall survival. In fact, I would argue that some of nature’s best sights are from the places that make you put in the effort to get there. So get to it ladies and gentleman!

Home Gym Fitness Exercises:

When it comes to developing a home gym circuit for getting trained up, it doesn’t take much! At most, you will need some resistance bands for building some muscles around those joints and maintaining that range of motion, and some free weights like dumbbells. Dumbbells can be used for building that upper body muscle, in addition to the push ups you should already be doing. For me, however, I tend to use them as precise weights that I add to my pack for weight training on my hikes, because let's be honest… if you are not training for a sh*t hit the fan scenario, you'll be the next loot drop.

Training for That Long Walk in The Woods:

Listen, I can get all technical on the training circuits and regiments that will get you thinking the workout culture is the way to go, and while it is beneficial, it is not necessary for that long walk. Simply put, even if you are slightly or very over weight, just get out there and start walking. Start with walking around the block, or your local high school track, and once that gets easier, add more distance or increase your pace. Once you can walk the track or the block at a good, speed walking pace, try jogging! Extending your range is really not hard, once you get out there and start. Everything you need to improve is in nature around you, but again, if you are overweight or not acclimated to walking, just start small and set short initial goals. Now, you might be asking what I mean by short goals, and that is a great question. The simple answer to that question is that you set goals that are easy to obtain on your walk. Say you are walking the track around a football field, starting at the one endzone, set a goal for the other end zone and achieve it. If that is too easy, set a further goal, like making it back to your start point in under a certain, but reasonable, time. Eventually, you will achieve that long walk goal over the river and through the woods!

Additionally, if you find yourself on the more cuddly side of a dad bod, you might throw in some supplements to help get your leg up on nature! For example, here at Pro Armory, we carry various vitamins and supplements, like Load Out and Joint Ops that can help you get moving and stay moving!

Supplements Specifics:

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Joint Ops will help you with stubborn joint pain that is preventing you from getting out there and enjoying Mother Nature’s sex appeal. This is one I personally use to help get me up and moving, because I know from experience that joint pain can keep you locked indoors and away from the world.

Load Out is a gummy based multivitamin designed to help you maintain your nutritional needs, promote cellular health, boost stamina and muscular performance.

Just to recap, let’s break it down to digestible bullet points!

• Get out and walk two to three times a week for 30 minutes at a brisk pace! Get that heart rate up!
• Get yourself some good hiking shoes and make sure you are using the equipment you plan to use on your hikes!
• Be sure to carry some weight in your pack so you are ready to carry your essential gear! If not, you could wind up being some quadruped's next meal!
• Stay hydrated and prepared! Get yourself some hydration packs that you can mix with your water and take care of your joints with Pro Armory’s Joint Ops! Life is rough on the body, but you should not let that slow you down!

Final Thoughts:

We should all want to get out there and explore the world we call home, because there is a lot out there that has faded to the afterthoughts of history. Technology has become such a crutch in our lives anymore and our youth struggles to appreciate the balance nature can provide us. Whether we are struggling with inner turmoil, or just straight up depressed, getting out there and rediscovering who you are through a long walk in the woods is far more beneficial and healing than some pharmaceutical drug. We were never meant to hide under our roofs and in our electronic death boxes (phones and TV’s). We were meant to get out there and be explorers, finding out who we are through trekking over mountains and through valleys. That is where we belong. So much advancement and overall good things for humanity occurred when we pushed ourselves, and one another, to figure out who we are through tough physical trials and pure natural escapes, not video games and drama TV. As humans, we are all drawn to Mother Nature, and while I don't know about you, I don’t want to deny her. So go! Get out there and look past the bugs and the dirt. Look at the beautiful planet we live on and view it through the wonder she deserves! I promise you there is no better artist than Nature herself.

I am off to take a walk in the woods! See you all later! 

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