There are many things you must anticipate as a prepper. and these include emergency scenarios like societal collapse, famine or even nuclear war.
These events may seem daunting, but preparing before SHTF should help you get your supplies ready in case you are one day forced to deal with a long-term survival scenario.
Below are 12 tips to help you get ready for societal collapse, famine and nuclear war. (h/t to SHTFPlan.com)
Get some of your assets out of the fiat currency system
The fiat system, which is a rigged, debt-based monetary slave system, will crumble when disaster strikes. Learn how to efficiently use valuable currencies like gold, silver and crypto as means of exchange. These assets are more “honest” because no government can artificially inflate their supply, meaning no government can print gold, silver or Bitcoin.
Boost your physical fitness with cardio and strength training
Improve your eating habits and exercise regularly to stay fit. When disaster strikes, being physically fit will give you a significant advantage over non-preppers who are used to a sedentary lifestyle.
Keep in mind that bone density is essential for resilience and survival. You will also need stamina for the heavy physical demands of post-SHTF life.
Do whatever you can right now to increase your strength, endurance and bone density to improve your resiliency. Boost your fitness levels with cardio and strength training. Here are some tips to ensure a safe workout when starting a new routine:
Stay hydrated
Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day to maintain healthy hydration levels. Replenishing fluids during exercise is important for maintaining optimal performance, especially if you are working out in hot temperatures.
When you’re done, hydrating after your workout can help you recover and get you ready for the next training session.
Follow a nutritious diet
Following a balanced diet will help support your fitness program. All food groups are necessary to sustain healthy energy levels and get the most out of your workout. You need carbs because they can fuel your muscles before exercise.
Protein helps improve muscle recovery after exercise, repairs tissue damage and builds muscle mass. Regularly consuming healthy fats has been shown to help burn body fat and preserve muscle fuel during workouts, which helps your energy last longer.
Warm up before exercising
Warming up before your workout will help prevent injuries and improve your athletic performance. Warming up also helps improve your flexibility and reduce soreness after exercising. Start with some aerobic exercises like arm swings, leg kicks and walking lunges.
You can also warm up by doing easy movements of the exercise you’re planning to do, like going on a walk before running.
Cool down after a workout
Cooling down is important because it helps your body return to its normal state. After you exercise, cool down to help restore normal breathing patterns and reduce the chance of muscle soreness. Do some light walking to cool down after aerobic exercise or stretch after resistance training.
Listen to your body
It’s ideal to exercise every day, but if you’re starting a new workout routine, learn your limits. If you feel pain or discomfort while exercising, stop and rest before continuing. Pushing through the pain isn’t recommended because this can cause injuries.
Working out “harder and faster” isn’t always better. While the goal is to become stronger before SHTF, you should start slow to avoid serious injuries. Exercise regularly to make the most of it and improve your strength and stamina.
Learn how to use secure, private messaging technology
Secure your data and communicate using secure apps like Session. The Session app is an end-to-end encrypted messenger that minimizes sensitive metadata.
According to the Session website, the app was “designed and built for people who want absolute privacy and freedom from any form of surveillance.”
If you invest in Bitcoin, learn how to use privacy crypto. You can also boost your data security with Apricorn thumb drives with keypad encryption.
Before SHTF, get sat phones and radio comms as alternative means of communication that don’t rely on cell towers and can’t be used to triangulate your physical location.
Learn to grow and store/preserve food
If your property is secure, grow fruits and vegetables in a home garden, such as:
- Lettuce
- Green beans
- Radishes
- Tomatoes (by transplant, i.e. small nursery plant)
- Zucchini
- Peppers (by transplant)
- Beets
- Carrots
- Chard, kale, or spinach
- Peas
If you don’t have space for a garden or you want to grow more food but in a less obvious way, read up on guerilla gardening.
Acquire non-GMO seeds to use in your garden. Learn food preservation techniques like home canning or drying so you can preserve food for future use. You can also use preserved food for bartering. Ensure your overall wellness by also stocking up on various supplements like vitamin D and zinc.
Secure a reliable water supply at your house and bug-out location
Those in power may use water scarcity to control the population. Stay self-sufficient by securing a water supply in your primary location or your house, and in your secondary location or your bug-out location.
You will also need water treatment solutions such as a gravity filter or a high-quality pump filter/camping filter. If power outages are common in your area, find a reliable way to acquire and filter water without using electricity. Consider sources like surface water, well water and rainwater.
Stock up on off-grid emergency medical supplies and first aid items
If you or someone else in the family has a medical condition, like diabetes or hypertension, find a way to stock up on the necessary prescription medication.
Many medical supplies and first aid items will be very difficult to acquire after SHTF, so stock up on first aid essentials like ivermectin and antiseptic supplies such as povidone-iodine.
Learn how to live without electricity
While there is a very low chance of a total power grid failure, you should prepare for regional, intermittent outages that could plunge many areas of the country into total darkness.
Without electricity, water pumps will stop working. Gas stations will shut down and retail establishments cannot function. You won’t be able to use your refrigerator, freezer and air conditioning.
As the pioneers have proven, you can live without electricity, but it isn’t convenient or easy. Invest in hand tools like hammers and saws so you can build and repair things on your property as needed after SHTF. Get solar charging devices to charge small electronic devices such as cell phones and flashlights.
Practice dressing down
As a prepper you must learn how to be discreet. Be confident, but remain humble. Do not wear or carry signs of visible wealth like branded clothing or expensive bags and jewelry. Don’t drive a luxury vehicle and don’t flash wads of cash when buying groceries. Learn the “gray man” philosophy and blend in. When SHTF, knowing how to disappear or blend in may save your life.
Learn how to defend yourself
Guns are ideal for self-defense and for protecting your family when SHTF. Some say the easiest firearm to learn is a rifle. Meanwhile, others consider pistols as more difficult to deploy and require far more training than using a rifle because a pistol involves mastering sight picture, eye dominance and recoil control.
If you don’t know what kind of firearm to buy, get an AR-15 and a Glock 19. Consider getting ballistic armor if you are worried about violence targeting your household or community. (Related: Survival 101: How to protect your family during civil war.)
Have a bug-out plan
Prepare for the Marxist/communist “Activation Day” scenario and have a detailed bug-out plan. Store enough supplies at your bug-out location so you have a chance at retaking your home or farm if they are overrun after SHTF.
You don’t need to be paranoid, but as a prepper you must be ready to evacuate if needed. If money is an issue, consider getting a crypto “brain wallet” so no one can detect or steal it from you.
Move away from “death zone” cities
If your city is considered a “dead zone,” move as far away as possible. Look for a new location that reflects the culture and rule of law you agree with. Choose a local living area that reflects philosophies of resiliency, self-reliance, honesty, compassion and the right to self-defense.
Keep your passport up to date if you need to travel
Prepare a crypto wallet and memorize the seed phrase so you have a “brain wallet” that you can access from anywhere. Use untraceable privacy coins to protect your privacy and avoid crypto confiscation attempts. Use crypto swap aggregation sites to trade Bitcoin into privacy coins.
Exercise, start a home garden and finalize your bug-out plan so you can survive when SHTF. Watch this video for tips on how to harden your bug-out location.
Join my Late Prepper Substack.
More related stories:
- Basic outdoor survival skills that will help you when SHTF.
- 8 Forgotten skills that helped the Native Americans survive harsh times.
- Survival 101: How to prepare for and survive a tornado.
Sources include:
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