What Survival Training Teaches us About Fitness.

What Survival Training Teaches us About Fitness.

I had the pleasure of taking Introduction to Wilderness Survival and Compass Navigation courses at Survival School Canada http://www.survivalschoolcanada.com/

Paul Cobham has so much knowledge to pass on, but I found one of his lessons in particular had a great correlation to my view of physical fitness and health.  He described a pyramid of priorities (like the food pyramid we are familiar with).

Graphic by Leona Graham http://www.leonagraham.net/

In this graphic, Mr. Cobham says the most important thing is the WILL TO LIVE.  Your attitude is the most important thing.  He described an event where one of his former students was stranded in the Arctic with no gear other than what was on his back in a horrible blizzard.  All he could do was sit and wait for rescue.  What kept him alive was thinking about coming home to his wife. 

So what does this have to do with fitness?  Your attitude is the most important part of your fitness and health.  That is what will get you through the pain and obstacles.  If you don’t have the will to press on, your fitness pyramid will crumble.  I encourage everyone to FIND THAT FIRST.  Whatever it is.  Living longer for your kids, feeling better in the future, the attention of the opposite sex, or what ever you need to keep you going on the 7^th kilometer of your 10k.  That is the real reason personal trainers and us odd fitness folks keep going on about motivation.  If you have that, building on everything else is easy.

Then you will be inspired to find knowledge.  For fitness and survival, this means learning the proper way to execute a task and the reason why these tasks are important and effective.  Mr. Cobham was excellent at that for survival, and I hope I can help you with that in fitness.  Then, you need to apply this with practice.  The application of knowledge with practice develops SKILL!  In fitness and survival training we intend to develop skills and grow.  Take home for this, don’t get frustrated quickly.  You are learning and practicing.  JUST KEEP WORKING AT IT.

And what is the smallest part of the pyramid.   KIT.  That is all the crap you buy.  Does this hit home with anyone?  Think about all that exercise equipment you have at home.  All of those tv and magazine adds.  Mr. Cobham described our consumer society as being overly focused on kit, so most people’s pyramid looks like this:

Look familiar.  You buy the latest thing, try to practice, but you fail because you don’t have the knowledge, and this really does not help your attitude at all.  Take home:  kit is great, but is worthless if you do not start with THE WILL TO GO ON.  Without will all your kit is just expensive clutter.  All these items are ephemeral, your attitude can be eternal. 

So start between your ears.  Find your motivation, you will stumble and fail and run into adversity, but you will also succeed and have personal victories. 

I had a great time at Survival School Canada  http://www.survivalschoolcanada.com/

and the setting in the Willow Retreat http://www.willowretreat.com/ was a great opportunity for me to get some mind, body and health balance. Check out their pages for some great health related opportunities. Anne Cobham does Reiki and Meditation in an old-fashioned peace and quiet environment.  I have a feeling that may be my next adventure.