What does it actually mean to be healthy?
That question was put to me by Philip Winter of Twisted Vine Herbs, and honestly… I had to think about it.
Is being healthy having good blood work? Recovering quickly from an illness? Having steady energy throughout the day? Being strong and physically fit?
Or is health something much deeper?
We spend a tremendous amount of time in the preparedness community talking about gear, food storage, skills, bug-out bags, shelters and emergency planning.
But there is one piece of preparedness that doesn’t get nearly enough attention:
YOU.
As a SAR-1, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when people aren’t physically prepared for an emergency. And over the years I’ve developed my own opinions about who struggles first when things go sideways—and why.
This video isn’t about judging anyone. It’s about sharing what I’ve learned through real-life experience.
I talk about my journey from college to today, including life-changing injuries, medical diagnoses, getting to what I consider the worst physical state of my life, and finally realizing that I couldn’t keep going the way I was going.
I had to make a change.
More importantly, I had to reach out for help.
I set expectations. I formed a plan. I learned as I executed it. I changed my nutrition, movement and sleep patterns. I worked on my habits—and I started seeing results.
I’ve lost 30 pounds, dropped 3 inches from my waist, and significantly lowered my resting blood pressure.
But I’m not done.
Because this isn’t a temporary diet or a short-term fitness challenge. It’s a lifestyle change. It’s a work in progress.
And that’s really what this conversation is about.
My definition of health has changed.
To me, being healthy means having the ability to adapt to the environments created by natural disasters and emergencies.
GET READY BEFORE IT HITS.
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I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
That takes work.
It’s hard.
It takes patience.
And most importantly, it requires you to make a plan and execute it.
Because when an emergency happens, you don’t get to hit pause.
Emergency waits for no man.
This was a more personal conversation than I normally have on Survival Dispatch. I recorded it in my Jeep after a big event because I wanted to talk honestly about where I’ve been, where I am, and where I’m going.
If you’re struggling with your health, trying to make changes, or simply wondering whether you’re actually prepared for the physical demands of an emergency, I hope this conversation gives you something to think about.
We’re all in this together.
If you’re honey-smack digging the video, leave me a snide remark in the comments section like share subscribe hit the notification bell for me, hype the video, and until next time, keep fueling those fires.
Keep fueling the fires…
~JJ
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