Your Physical Condition - Basic
You should read this even if you are physically fit, because someone in your group may not be in the same condition you are.
If you're among the majority of people, who generally don't exercise, there is good news, and you should read this for sure.
There is a tremendous difference between being physically inactive and doing just a little to increase your endurance. That is the good news.
The rest of the news is more disconcerting. Emergencies, by their very nature, put a great deal of stress on a person's central nervous system, and most likely on their entire body. You may be called upon to do things that you do not normally do. If your physical reserve, your stamina, is very low, you may get into trouble quite quickly. Stories about people having a heart attack just from hearing bad news are not untrue.
Imagine being thrown into a very stressful emergency situation, and then having to walk a mile or two to safety. Or having to quickly run out of the way of an advancing disaster. Or walking down dozens of flights of stairs because the elevator isn't working. Or having to carry water a considerable distance, at 8 pounds per gallon. Or... you get the idea.
If you do no physical activity most of the time, you may not survive even these relatively easy situations. If you suddenly have to do hard manual labor like digging out of rubble or trying to get someone out of a car that has been in an accident, your survivability index is not high.
Let's say you can get through the initial period of stress. Will those demands on your body bring your physical reserves down to where you are completely worn out? How resistant to disease will you be then? Could you fall victim to even a simple thing like a cold, because your body's resistance is low, and it progresses into pneumonia or something worse? What about flu?
Again, the good news is that a little physical conditioning is tremendously better than none. Of course good condition is better, and great condition is still better in an emergency situation. But here we're talking about the biggest bang for the buck. The curve goes up very quickly at first, and you can make a surprising amount of progress fairly easily.
Predictably, I must say that you have to get your doctor's written permission before making any changes in your physical activities.
Getting Started
If you walk a little, every other day, you will have made a really commendable start. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You don't have to do it every day. In fact, I believe that exercising one day, and then having a day of rest before you do it again, can actually help you progress faster. It gives your muscles and central nervous system a chance to repair and be stronger. I have used that principle for many years, to excellent results.
If you gradually increase your walking so that you can walk a half mile, then increase to a mile, you will be physically superior to many others who have no conditioning whatsoever.
Who knows, you may enjoy it. You may make an after-dinner walk a part of your life that you will enjoy so much that you will wonder why you never did it before.
Walk up a flight of stairs at work instead of taking the elevator. Then take the elevator the rest of the way. Someday you might not need to, nor even want to, take the elevator at all.
Here's a fine one. Go to the mall. Look in a lot of store windows as you walk and walk and walk. It's not 'exercise'. It's shopping!
Maybe park your car way out in the parking lot, if it's safe to do so. It's easier to find a parking space out there, and you get credit for walking time.
More
After you can walk a mile easily, the world starts to open up to you. Just be sure to take it gradually. Don't suddenly do much more. Take your time working up to each next level. Concentrate on getting stronger and more able to survive in an emergency situation, not in wearing yourself out.
When you're ready, you can go on hikes with a local group. Often you can find out about their event schedule on the internet or in your local newspaper. Go on the ones that are right for you. Consider the length of the hike, environmental conditions like heat of the day, and anything else that may impact you, personally. For example, if you are allergic to bees, a walk through fields of flowers may not be such a good idea.
You can go camping. Not only is it a marvelous adventure, it's really good practice for emergency and disaster situations. Best would be to go with someone who is experienced and knows how to do it. One way to get out in the field with people who know they are doing is to volunteer as an assistant adult leader in one of your local Scouting programs. I know they pretty much always need the extra help. You can learn as you give back to the community, a pretty good exchange, in my book.
You can even go car camping, maybe in an RV. Get there, get set up, and go for a hike. Very easy way to get some fun... and exercise. Be sure to stay on well-marked trails, and do not push yourself beyond your abilities. Remember that it is as far back as it was getting there, so make certain you will have enough physical reserve to return to camp. Always... ALWAYS ... take sufficient water with you. And a first aid kit and a little emergency food, too. A pocket survival kit (see below) makes it easy. Cell phone, if it works in the area you'll be in. And a nice picnic lunch that will taste better than any food you had back in the city.
But do not go into the wild by yourself, not even a couple of steps off the well-marked trail. And do not go at all, unless you know what you are doing, or are with people you do. You don't want to be one of those unfortunates that Search & Rescue has to go in and find. Or even worse, not find.
One thing you must do, even for a short hike, is to tell a reliable person where you have gone, and when you will be back, and that you will absolutely definitely check in with them when you return. Ask them to call the authorities if you do not. That one thing has saved so many lives.
Pocket Survival Kit
Nitro-Pak
Further In
The world is the limit. Once you are physically active, you can keep taking it to the next and the next and the next level.
Adventure vacations, rafting on the Mississippi, marathons... who knows? I've met so many people who were thought they'd never finish the first mile. And now they're running the Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii today. Literally. As I write this they are out on the highway, biking through the lava fields for over a hundred miles. A full marathon in the Hawaiian heat comes after they get off the bikes. They think it's fun.
I shouldn't talk. I have my own extreme activities. But it took a while to be able to do them. Rome wasn't built in a day. Get started. Have some fun at it.
Thoughts about No Pain No Gain
The phrase No Pain, No Gain is misleading. Physical discomfort can be an expected result of intentionally stressing muscles to get stronger. Some people call that pain. But to my way of thinking, feeling pain during exercise usually means that your body is warning you that you're harming it, and are possibly getting a debilitating injury. I sometimes push myself until I experience considerable discomfort. But it is transitory, and decreases immediately when I stop. I think that is fine. It leads to a harder physique and increased endurance. Very nice. I'm not harming myself. I know my body well enough after years of doing certain activities to know where the line is between pain and harm... well, usually, anyway. I still screw up from time to time.
The bottom line is, don't push too hard and harm yourself. It will just set back your progress, and you may regret it tremendously. And if any kind of injury accidentally happens, stop at once. You will recover much faster if you do not 'push through the pain' and keep on injuring yourself more and more.