There’s nothing better to get your heart rate up by doing some aerobic activities. No, I’m not talking about aerobics if that’s what you were worried about.

As you’re about to see, there are plenty of things you can do to improve your long-term ability to make physical effort… so let’s not waste anymore time and take them one by one.

Swimming

I
consider swimming to be the holy grail of aerobics. I myself didn’t
know how to swim until after I was 30 but I tried and I tried until
one day I was
able to… and now I’m getting pretty
good at it!

The
benefits of swimming are undeniable. The list could be a lot longer
but here are
just the main ones:

• it builds endurance
• builds strength
• improves cardiovascular fitness
• tones muscle
• keeps weight under control
• contributes to the health of your heart and lungs
• it burns a huge number of calories

Best of all, it doesn’t put any stress on your knees and ankles like running does. That’s why swimming is recommended for ALL ages, even if you have a bad back or chronic problems with your legs.

The
only “problem” with swimming is that, unless you happen to have a
swimming pool in your back yard, you’re going
have to pay for access to one. But it’s well worth the money,
considering the amazing benefits.

Of course, you don’t even have to buy a full membership. Swimming only once or twice a week, in conjunction with the rest of the exercises in this course, is more than enough.

Jogging

Another fantastic option, jogging was discussed in another episode of the series. Careful not to hurt your knees, you’ll need proper running shoes, and try to only jog on surfaces that are specifically made for this purpose, such as running tracks and treadmills.

Cycling

Studies
have emerged showing that cycling is actually better than running
because it prevents injury. It makes sense because when you jog, with
each step you take, you’re putting pressure on your ankles, knees
and even your spine.

Of
course, you need strong joints and tendons so you need to jog as
well, but cycling has the huge advantage of allowing your body to
exercise for longer periods of time. In fact, if you’re just
starting out and enjoy biking, you can even skip running altogether
(for now) and start pedaling.

Is
cycling always better than running? Not always. For example, if
you’re looking to burn as many calories as possible, running is
better because you’re using your entire body to move. When cycling,
let’s not forget that you’re in a seated position.

Some
more tips for you to get the most out of
cycling:

Try
different routes. Variety is key as with any “workout” so why
not take advantage of the fact that you can travel long distances to
see some of your surroundings? This is an excellent opportunity for
you to familiarize yourself with all the different bug-out routes you
can take.

Measure
your distances and break your records. Challenge yourself to
always bike more than the list time, even if only by a mile.

Wear
a helmet. Over 6000 American cyclists end up in the hospital with
head injuries every year.

Rope Skipping

What
if I told you that you don’t even need to buy jump rope? You
can just use Paracord to do rope skipping. However, if you have no
problem spending 10-15 bucks on a professional one, you
can find plenty on Amazon.

Either
way, the rope needs to be of the proper length before you use it,
otherwise you won’t last that long. To find out, step in it with
both your feet and raise your arms towards your armpits as much as
you can. The length can be anywhere between your waist and your
armpits.

Believe
it or not, there’s a large number of skipping rope variations you
can do.

Here’s
how to do rope skipping. Simply step on
it with both your feet (like you did previously) and start jumping
WITHOUT MOVING YOUR ARMS OR YOUR ROPE (for now). Do this until you’re
comfortable with the movement; only then should you start rotating
the rope.

The
basic exercise is when you do small and fast jumps (1-2 inches
off the floor) with both your feet while you rotate the skipping rope
from front to back. You only need to jump high enough to give the
rope enough room to slip under you. The trick to making this
work is to keep your elbows close to you as you do the exercise.

If things are going well, you can increase the speed a little bit. Don’t worry if the rope gets stuck, continue doing it until it almost becomes a reflex.

Now,
before we move on to the variations of skipping, let’s talk about
the most common rope skipping mistakes as clearing those out will
pave the way for your doing every other variation like a pro.

Mistake
#1: not starting correctly

What
a lot of people do is they bring both their hands back, they throw
the rope forward and themselves at the same time. That will never
work. To start skipping rope, you need to keep your elbows tucked in
like I showed you, and start jumping 1-2 inches off the ground while
moving the rope back to front in a rotating motion.

Mistake
#2: jumping the wrong way

Man,
I rolled on the floor laughing a few weeks ago when a friend tried
rope skipping for the first time. He was so funny I just had to make
fun of him the whole night. He was putting so much energy to make
sure the rope goes through that he started making these really
awkward movements.

Keep
in mind that the rope is about a quarter of an inch thick, and only
needs 1-2 inches of space to pass through.

Mistake
#3: turning the rope and jumping at the same time

It’s
in our reflex to turn the rope from back to front and jump at the
same time, but that will only result in the rope simply reaching your
legs while they are on the ground.

So
you need to do this in two steps that are something like a third of a
second away from each-other:

Step
1: You move the rope forward like I told you.

Step
2: You jump 1-2 inches off the ground.

Ready
for some rope skipping variations? They’re not as hard as you
think. Well, we’re gonna heave the hard ones for people who are
more passionate about this as we have our own purpose in mind.

Variation
#1: As you’re jumping, move both your feet from side to side
(about 6-7 inches from the original position).

Variation
#2: Jump only on one foot by slightly raising the other one 4-5
inches away, then switch. Do 3 on the left, then switch feet and do 3
on the right.

Variation
#3: Move both your forward and back as you jump.

Variation
#4: Move your feet apart and then together as you jump. Somewhat
similar to variation #1 only this time the feet go in the opposite
direction.

Are
there more variations? Of course, but these
4are enough for now. If you can
incorporate these into your routine, that’ll be more than enough.

Burpees

The
burpee is an aerobic/strength training exercise that doesn’t
require any equipment, and it can be done
in very little space.

The
movement is complex
and, as a result, a lot of people are doing it wrong. Here’s the
right way to do it:

Step
1: Stand up straight with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.

Step
2: Squat down and put your palms on the floor in front of you.

Step
3: Resting on your palms, jump back with your feet until you land in
the squatting position.

Step
4: Perform a push-up (optional).

Step
5: Bring your feet back where they were at step 2.

Step 6: Raise yourself up and, optionally, jump in the air.

Torso Twists

This is a really easy aerobic exercise that can be done in a very tight space. The movement is compound, meaning a lot of your muscles will get a good workout.

Step
1. Stand up straight with your feet wider than shoulder width
apart, and raise both your hands at chest level with your elbows
bent, with one palm on top of the other.

Step 2. Twist your arms left and right while keeping your body straight.

Jumping Jacks

This
is a really easy exercise taken straight from military playbooks,
where they call it side-straddle stop.

All
you have to do is stand straight, then jump until your feet are apart
and your hands are above your head (some people like to clap when
they do that).

A
variation of this are power jumping jacks. You
have to stand with your feet together, with your knees slightly bent
and your back at a 60 degree angle from the floor. Keep your arms on
the sides and make sure they touch your knees.

Then, in a swift motion, jump into the air while raising your arms high up, almost touching each-other over your head. Return to the original position as you descend.

Rock Climbing

The
benefits of rock climbing are amazing: you get a full body workout
(particularly your core muscles), and it helps with stabilization and
flexibility.

First
of all, you should start doing this indoors where you are safe. What
you really want to do in the beginning is focus on your grip and
getting over your fear of heights. Go to an indoor climbing gym and
make sure you bring someone or that there’s someone there who can
help you.

Second,
keep in mind you don’t just need strong arms to climb. As in the
case of tree climbing, you also have to use your legs to push
yourself up. In other words, if you’re looking to become a better
climber, you need to work your feet just as much as your upper body
(if not more).

Once
you mastered indoor rock climbing, consider doing it outdoors. This
is where things start getting more interesting. For example, did you
know you can do bouldering, which is outdoor close to the ground
climbing without any equipment. There’s even a World Cup for it!

The
nice thing about bouldering is that you don’t really need to invest
in equipment but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. What’s
important now is that you start your first rock climbing experience
as soon as possible.

Martial Arts

I
want to talk with you about martial arts for a minute. Now, I’m no
karate expert, I’m only a prepper but I want to share my
perspective to help you decide.

Obviously,
every style has its benefits but some are better than the other from
our purpose. If you set your eyes on one, you should probably go with
that but if you haven’t, I suggest you look intro Krav Maga
because, unlike the others. The other martial arts have all sorts of
techniques but this one is focused on punching and kicking, which
feels more natural.

The other benefit is that the moves are explosive, which is something you need as part of your survival fitness training, anyway. It helps form reflexes too, useful when you’re taken by surprise by an attacker or a critical event. The only issue is that these explosive movements could cause tendon injuries.

Other
martial arts to learn? Chinese kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu,
Okinawan Karate, judo or plain old boxing are good places to start.

In
addition to the aerobic movements above, a lot of the things you do
around your house or yard are also aerobic:

• mowing the
  lawn
• mopping and
  sweeping
• scrubbing
  floors or the bathtub
• chopping
  wood
• washing the
  car
• shoveling
  snow etc.

All in all, aerobic exercises will increase your stamina and your ability to stay alert when surviving disasters and emergencies. They key to getting maximum benefit from them is to make them a HABIT.