174: Survival Fitness with Chris Viggiano

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Many times, preppers get so focused on stockpiling survival “things” that they forget one of the cornerstones of preparedness: their fitness. In this episode, I’m talking with Chris Viggiano, owner of  AIM Human Performance. Chris has a great view of a long-term wellness plan that everyone can be a part of. None of our preps mean anything if we don’t keep ourselves as healthy as possible, regardless of physical limitations.

The AIM Philosophy

With the AIM system, Chris, together with his wife Michelle, treats each individual’s health like a unique ecosystem. The goal is: Assess, Improve, and Maintain to relieve unwanted struggle. Clients don’t come with short-term goals. They’re real people looking at how they want to feel and move thirty years from now. At AIM, they design customized plans based on each person’s limitations and desires.

Resilience & the SAID Principle

Chris defines resilience as “our ability to recover from a stressful event, whether that stressful event is deliberate or not.” Our resilience is based on our wellness, which is based on our unique ecosystems. When coaching, he applies the SAID Principle: Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand. Individually, we must focus on our capabilities while managing expectations with reality. Long-term health is a marathon, not a sprint.

Wellness Strategies

Because men and women are biologically different, they must prepare for long-term health differently. We touch on some actionable tips that apply to all individuals that everyone can take a step toward implementing today. Chris also shares his views on how sleep and diet affect us as essential parts of our individual ecosystems and adds some hacks for us to use at home.

Cold Therapy

One area of resilience and wellness therapy that you may not have heard much about is Cold Therapy. Chris explains his reasons for recommending it in some detail. He also shares how anyone can take a small step towards conditioning themselves without dunking themselves in an ice bath or taking a polar plunge.

Start Where You Are

When asked for some of his favorite Tips and Tricks, Chris says his foremost piece of advice is, “Start where you are.” Take an honest physical and mental inventory of your health, and create some actionable small steps that will, over time, get you one step closer to your long-term goals. Start with something simple, like eliminating one soda each day. Maybe you can pick up the pace while walking to the mailbox. Walk down the hall and back carrying a gallon of water (8.3#). Try creating a meal plan and cooking one more day each month from scratch. There are no immediate goals to start. The only goal is to try to make each day a little healthier than the day before. Foreward progress is the overall goal.

So be sure to hit the “PLAY” button at the top of your screen to hear us talk about it in tons more detail. You’ll leave with a new perspective on the importance of health as part of your overall preparedness plan.

Additional Resources:

• Prepping for Aging: How to Maintain Your Health
• Invest in Yourself
• Fitness As A Survival Skill
• Exploring Home with Chris Weatherman (Angery American)