Ready for Anything: Fitness, Nutrition, and Essential Prepping

In this episode of 'The Constitution Commandos', hosts Chris and Patrick Williams delve into the importance of physical fitness, proper nutrition, and being prepared for emergencies through prepping. They discuss how physical and mental health are interconnected, emphasizing the benefits of exercise and a good diet on memory and mental focus.

The conversation shifts to practical advice on prepping, including the necessity of a go-bag, its ideal weight, and the significance of being able to carry it comfortably for extended periods. They also cover the importance of preparing for the unexpected, such as an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) attack, and stress the value of community, knowing one's neighbors, and the essentials of survival gear.

Tips on foot care, the importance of breaking in new shoes, and considering the physical capabilities of all family members in survival situations are shared. The episode concludes with a discussion on self-defense, the value of primitive weapons, and strategies for survival in chaotic scenarios.

00:00 Opening Pledge and Introduction

00:13 Ready for Anything: Fitness, Nutrition, and Prepping

00:41 The Importance of Physical Fitness and Nutrition

02:31 Prepping Essentials: The Go Bag

02:55 Rucking: A Practical Prepping Exercise

09:26 Choosing the Right Gear and Footwear

11:31 Medical Supplies and Redundancy in Prepping

14:26 Community and Survival Strategies

14:56 Navigating an EMP Scenario

27:14 Defense and Weaponry in Survival Situations

I Pledge allegience to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.

Good morning and welcome to the fourth episode this season.

Today's episode is called Ready for Anything, Fitness,

Nutrition, and Prepping.

Don't forget to share your thoughts and ideas with us.

Just email us at podteam at the constitutioncommandos.

org.

We're going to get this thing started without any further ado.

I'm your host, Chris Williams, and my brother Patrick is your co host.

And you're listening to the Constitution Commandos.

Getting into shape may just sound like a bunch, a couple of guys talking

about you need to buff up and get.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and everything that's not the case because one of

the things that I discovered when I went into boot camp and I was

already pretty physically active because I own my own roofing company.

But one of the things that I discovered in boot camp was that exercise that

eating right exercise and daily.

My memory, it was already good, but man, did my memory get exponentially better,

All-American Commando: oh, absolutely.

The mental focus comes along with physical fitness.

It absolutely does and a good diet.

I, I'm, I don't, I'm not a nutritionist and I'm not a,

All-American Commando: We don't even play one on TV.

That's right.

But it,

A lot of these days that we talk about individually.

They all work hand in hand and,

Knowing what's going on around you, knowing what you have, what can be

used against you or what you can use and being physically fit, all

of this stuff, it goes hand in hand.

You really can't have one without the other.

I don't know how you can.

Somebody might could tell me how you can, but I don't know how you can.

All-American Commando: Now they all work together.

I believe they do and I think they're all as important as the

next individual thing we might talk about.

And don't just do 1 thing and not the other, because.

They do work together, and if your own personal safety

means anything to you at all.

Then you'll put it to practice, right?

It's about as simple as it gets.

And

All-American Commando: and I'm not going to sit here and tell you to.

A go bag is important, regardless your situation.

Go bag is important.

Now, what he's talking about on physical fitness, and how

these things work together.

If you have a go bag, and I'm not saying your go bag should

weigh standard military kit.

General packing list weighs about 35 pounds.

And you're go back for 72 hours and don't just leave it sitting by the

door, put it on your back, go walking.

I don't care if you got hike and bike trails, I don't care if you

have a park, I don't care if you don't, you got a neighborhood, you

got somewhere that you can walk.

I personally, yeah and push yourself a little further.

If you make the block one day, then make the block and then a smaller block

the next day, or make the same block.

And if you can't make it a full second time, then backtrack the

way you came and end your ruck.

And when I say ruck, like we called it ruck marching.

We threw a bag on our back and we went for 12 miles.

So I'm trying personally.

due to my experience, my knowledge, and what I prefer to carry in my

bag, I'm probably gonna be in the 40 pound, 45 pound range for my go bag.

Now, I used to go with 175, 180 pounds in my ruck.

You don't have to brag.

All-American Commando: Believe me, it ain't bragging.

That's the reason I'm out of the military because it busted me up.

But it also cost me my chance to go special forces.

Bear in mind, that was coming out of an airplane

with that kind of weight.

So it's not bragging.

All-American Commando: Yeah, and moving with

a scout unit, which was comprised of about six people counting the

scout leader, our team leader.

So anyway, they moved fast and I moved just as fast as they

did, but with a lot more weight.

And

Get out there and carry it because if it ever does happen that you

cannot successfully defend your home or where you are, because remember

number one mission set in any bad situation, preservation of life.

I cannot say it enough.

Preservation of life, your life and everybody's life that's in that house.

Preservation of life.

Property means nothing.

If you have to get that go bag, then you need to be able to walk with it.

So get that go bag and go hike, get some buddies.

Yeah, get some buddies.

Go walk with it.

Hell,

I used to live in one of the coolest places in the world, which is

Austin, Texas.

All-American Commando: Yeah.

And look, I used to live on my bicycle and I was an active son of a gun.

I would ride all over the place on my bicycle.

Man,

I'd be riding or whatever I was doing.

I had to go to a restaurant.

Then when I got done, I'd be active some more.

Whatever calories I took in, I burned off within a couple miles.

So if you're rucking, man, there ain't many restaurants that say

you can't come in there with a bag.

Hey, if you go rucking and you decide you want to stop and get

you something to eat, Bust up in a restaurant, you and your buddies go

in there and grab something to eat.

When you get done eating, hey, head out of there.

It doesn't matter.

And just carry the weight.

Get used to carrying the weight.

And part of a go bag.

Oh, and by the way, just to interject, you don't really

necessarily have to carry a bag.

Carry the bag by all means, get used to it being on your back,

but there are ankle weights.

You can wear wrist weights.

You can, there's all kinds of substitutes you can use.

Just get used to carrying the weight.

All-American Commando: Yeah,

And that is a way you can start off.

But the thing about the bag is that when you put a bag on your back, the

weight distribution and where the weight lays on your body is totally different.

Now, ankle weights will not hurt by any means.

If you don't have a bag and you don't have one,

That's a 72 hour bag.

I wouldn't discourage anything to start getting you built up, but.

You got it.

I don't consider

That would be a viable substitute.

Maybe that's what I said, but I think it would help

In the sense that you would get used to having the weight on you,

but like you said, the bag on your back is not the same thing as having

wrist weights or ankle weights.

It feels different.

You're going to wear differently, but if you don't have one, put

some kind of weight on you.

All-American Commando: And if you do get a bag, try your

hardest to fit it to your body.

Some people are tall.

Some people are my height around 5'10 which I don't know

if I'm short or just average.

I think I'm just average.

And some people are shorter.

So the bag that I would wear that would properly fit my body wouldn't

be the exact same bag that my wife would wear because she's only 4'11

So get a bag that fits your body because that right there is going to

help preserve your physical nature.

You won't hurt yourself as bad.

Little things like that are important to keep in mind when you decide to

get a bag that is going to serve as your 72 hour bag or a go bag.

But yeah, throw it on your back, get used to walking with it.

And if you have to embrace the suck and you don't know how to embrace

it when it's raining outside, keep rucking, keep walking with

it on your back when it's raining.

You know what, rain sucks, but you won't be able to choose the

weather that you have to leave in if you have to leave your home.

So if you have to leave your home and it's storming outside, I'd be willing

to bet that if it's an indefensible position and it's raining, the idea

of it raining is not going to stop you from trying to preserve life.

If you have to go, you have to go.

So just get used to it now.

That's not a bad idea because,

A lot of people, how many times have you heard, Oh, I'm going to

melt if I get out in the rain.

I tell people all the time I was in the Navy.

I trained in this kind of weather.

You know what I'm saying?

Look, if it came down to a muddy swamp, a lot of people would look at

that and say, man, look at all the insects you can catch right there

now, man, getting the water go, right?

That's where you would be.

So if you can think of anything uncomfortable, challenge yourself

to attack that uncomfortable.

That's a real good way to go.

Believe it or not.

All-American Commando: Yeah.

And another thing that is just as important, probably, okay.

Actually, let me, I'm going to go back a little bit.

More important.

It's a close equal, but it's probably more important.

People do not think about your feet.

Okay.

No, I'm going to tell you right now.

Carry extra socks, carry foot powder but

All-American Commando: get a quality pair of shoes.

In my opinion, I would say a pair of, now this is

just me.

I like tactical boots.

I like tactical boots for a lot of reasons.

They're full lace.

I can provide more support for my ankles.

There's typically a tactical boot, not all of them,

But a lot of tactical boots come with a very good aggressive sole

that allows for multiple types of terrain and weather conditions.

I prefer tactical boots, but hiking boots work.

Yeah, hiking boots work just as well, but

I prefer my boots over my tennis shoes.

My tennis shoes are quite comfortable, but if I had to, if I had to hit

rough terrain or I had to hit a lot of elevation changes, the boots all day long.

All-American Commando: Absolutely.

And do not buy a new pair, especially if they're leather, and think you're

going to go the first time you bought them and go rucking with it.

You will destroy your feet.

Break your shoes in.

Yeah.

If they're real leather.

Soak them in water, put them on until they're dry and your

feet will stretch them out.

Do not take them off.

They will shrink smaller than your foot size and you're really going to play

hell getting your feet back in them.

Your

feet don't just stretch them out.

They will, like you say, when they dry out, they do shrink,

but they will form to your feet.

They will be yours.

Yes.

They'll be part of you then.

All-American Commando: So break in whatever shoes you have So you do not

deal with bad blistering or any problems that would be accrued or to your feet

that will prevent you from moving.

Keep yourself out of your medical bag.

All-American Commando: Yeah,

Unless you're the only one.

The more you use the medical supplies, the

less you have to use later on.

When things get really bad, you don't know really how long you're

going to go without medical supplies.

So you want to try to prepare for not using it.

That's the idea.

So

All-American Commando: general rule to remember it goes along with

what he just said is one is none.

Two is one.

So if you have a go bag and you put a medical kit in there, don't go to

your go bag, if you cut your finger, you need to have an additional medical

kit in your house that you use.

Leave.

The supplies in your go bag alone.

Do not touch it.

You can if you want to, but when you have to have it,

you'll remember this conversation.

All-American Commando: One equals zero.

Two equals one.

Always figure a level of redundancy on supplies, period.

If you have a go bag and then you have a bug out bag, Don't put one

compass, don't buy one compass and leave it in one bag or the other.

Have each bag loaded out with a compass.

So

Now, that's one thing I have done, and I know you and

I have talked about this before, but one thing I have done is I've

taken into consideration that,

I've got Laura, you've got Salida.

I don't believe that Laura can carry as much as I can, but does that

mean that she'll be less effective?

No, I, she's not gonna move as fast as me, but does that mean

she's gonna be more dangerous?

No.

But at the same time, if I'm not making things equitable for her to be able to do

what we need to do, then now we're done,

But, I think I told you the other day, I got two compasses.

I got one for my bag, one for hers.

Now, I'm gonna have to learn how to use this compass.

I've never used one of these, but I will learn how and I'll teach her how.

I have certain medical stuff split up for her bag and my bag.

She'll learn how to use what I know how to use anyway, and that'll

be beneficial for her and for me.

But the idea is.

I hate to say work to the one that's least trained or least knowledgeable,

but in order to have survival at the greatest level, in some ways, that's

what you got to do, but everybody needs to be able to train for the unexpected.

Always be ready for the unexpected.

That's not to say that everybody's going to be all special forces, gung ho and all

this, but everybody needs to be trained to a certain degree to be prepared for

whatever might come, whatever that may be.

All-American Commando: That's great.

I tell you what, let's get back.

Let's do a Q and a thing if you don't mind.

All-American Commando: Okay.

Because,

The just be if you just think about being in the place where you live.

There are just so many things that.

Should be taken into consideration and there are a lot of things that maybe,

I don't know, I guess the average person wouldn't think about, but

Let's just say,

Let's go with the,

The,

The conspiracy theory, if you will, let's just say that the

EMP drops on us in 48 hours.

What does the individual or family living inside a home, whether it be apartment

or house, what things would be the top things you would consider or think?

Or would you think a family needs to consider in that situation?

In

All-American Commando: the EMP situation, in my opinion, the things

we spoke about earlier would be first and foremost, because you're

going to have societal breakdown.

So your environment being of the utmost importance, because if you live in

an urban environment or inner city, you probably want to do everything

you can within the first, probably 24 to 48 hours to get out of the city.

Because any and everything in the city, it will be up for grabs your stuff,

your neighbor's stuff, everybody's stuff

and bear in mind the EMP for those who don't

know is an electromagnetic pulse and what it's going to do.

And what that will do is it will If this bomb, which some countries already have

this capability, if they drop one over the United States, they'll put us in the dark.

And when I say in the dark, all electricity, water powered

vehicles, everything goes completely dead within a frame of about 48

hours, if I understand correctly.

All-American Commando: Everything will be dead

once it goes off, if

you don't

have shielded electronics.

If it has a board in it, If it has a board in it, your telephone, your computer,

Anything electrical, your car, if you have a brand new car, even an

old car, it can fry the battery.

Faraday cages are good things to have,

Or Faraday bags.

Those will preserve electronics.

Now let's

base it on the assumption that nobody has it.

And I'm sure there are some who do, but let's just say nobody has that.

And EMP comes over to the United States, let's say tomorrow, you got 48 hours.

Actually, the grid will be dead in less than an hour, but people won't

realize it for about 24 to 48 hours.

So

Let's go with that.

Just inside the dwelling.

All-American Commando: Okay.

If you're in an urban environment, I'm going to answer this from two different,

multiple different ways, actually, because I live more in a suburb, whereas

people that live in urban, if you live in a city, you get out of that city.

And I would say on the outside, 48 hours.

By the time people realize what happened, everything is subject for the taking.

Chaos.

It's all chaos.

Pure

All-American Commando: chaos.

The absolute worst of humanity will be visibly witnessed by

people that have never imagined.

It'll be horrific.

Now that you said you, you are a suburb,

You're in the suburb of Jackson, Mississippi, and

I happen to be in Jackson.

Now

Your plan of attack may be a lot different than mine.

As a matter of fact, I would expect it to be because I am in Jackson.

And so

it

doesn't matter.

I'm in South Afghanistan now, but the point is whenever it, if the lights

go out, I'm just going to tell you, I don't care if it's just Jackson.

I'm going to treat it as though an EMP just got launched, and I'm bugging out.

We are leaving, okay?

Because I feel, and this is just the way I feel, because

I know the people around here.

People are gonna go crazy in about six hours.

I give it six.

Now, you're in a suburb of Jackson, but honestly, Pearl's a

lot better than what Jackson is.

Let's go with that, because I am in the city, I will not be staying

here not for any length of time.

All-American Commando: And once again,

We're talking the EMP scenario.

Once again, this is why it is vitally important for everybody to stock up

on food and water and have a go bag.

It's vitally important because regardless if that happens, you're

going to have to get out of there.

So for me, in a suburb, if an EMP goes off.

Chances are my vehicle is dead and I'm going to be depending on

whatever mode of transportation that I have, which I do have a bicycle

so I can cover more ground quickly.

But if I have to leave my home, if I already, Okay, let me go back and I don't

mean to jump around and confuse people.

I saw that in your face.

You look like you was thinking about something you could have already

Go ahead.

All-American Commando: When we spoke earlier about getting to know your

neighbors, an EMP in an urban environment, even if you know your neighbors, is still

probably not a good idea to stay there.

For me in a suburb, knowing my neighbors might buy me an additional

amount of time, but guaranteed.

The people of the urban environment.

I live just outside of the city.

It will not take them long to get to where I live.

That's what I was supposed to say.

You are sitting so close to the edge of where I am.

Your time frame is not much different from mine, but you are in a Better place

in, in regards to being in the suburb.

All-American Commando: Now, once again, this being an EMP scenario, this is

why I say my property is non defensible position because of how many avenues of

approach that are available to somebody to get into my property or into my home.

Now, if I know my community.

Let's just say I do know almost everybody in my neighborhood and let's say that they

are all equally protected and they're all equal believers in the second amendment

and we have a way of watching out for each other then that will buy us more time.

Actually that'll buy you a lot of time.

All-American Commando: It will.

I say a

lot

Most people would think that's not a lot of time but if it can buy

you an extra two to four hours.

Two, 12 hours,

the way

we think, that's a lot of time.

All-American Commando: Absolutely.

But, in my mind, the things that I'm looking at, if an EMP goes off, if

you look outside and the roads become completely congested with dead vehicles,

they're not moving, you have to ask yourself, they didn't all run out of gas.

Something else happened.

Don't forget the planes falling out of the sky.

All-American Commando: Oh, absolutely.

So for me, that would allow me a little extra time to gather

things out of my home that I have already collected for a bad event.

So I would be able to collect my go bag.

I would be able to collect the supplies necessary being firearms, munitions, and

I would be able to, I would be able to collect my daughter, my son in law, grand

babies, My son in law's father, mother.

Yes, and

All-American Commando: we would have a plan, already have a

plan to our next location.

Where are we going?

We will move to that location.

Now, in that situation, I'm going to do everything I can to avoid

any avenue of approach to anywhere.

Roads.

I will avoid roads like the plague.

I will avoid them because everybody else sooner than later will understand that

bad things have happened and they might see me with a pack and say I want what he

has because it might help them survive.

So I'm going to avoid the roads.

I need to become invisible to people at that moment and you don't know.

It could be somebody that you work with that you think would

be cool and watch your back.

But if they have a family and they are thirsty or they are starving,

they don't have your back.

All-American Commando: They don't have your back at all.

And now they

All-American Commando: are a target.

And you and I've talked about this on many occasions.

And, I've said, you said, when it comes down to it, when the shit hits the

fan, I'm going to have a rally point.

That rally point will be designated for those whom I've already spoken to.

Who I already trust, and when the shit hits the fan, it's gonna be this simple.

When I make it to my rally point, friend, family, foe, I don't care

who you are, if you hadn't already had this prearranged deal, sorry.

You made a mistake approaching my area.

That's it.

And, yeah.

I hate to be like that.

I don't want to be like that, but unless you know what somebody

is capable of when it comes to survival, trust me, it is not good.

You don't know what they're capable of.

That's just it.

That's just it.

You don't.

And I hate, like I said, I hate to be like that.

Friend, family, or foe, if you encroach the area that I have claimed

or that I have lit upon, I And you show up with that announcement.

Look within the first nine months, don't do it, please.

Cause I'd hate to put somebody down because they didn't make

that previous arrangement

All-American Commando: are going to be to break contact.

That would be my mission.

Set will be to break contact regardless if I've already fled and somebody

stumbles upon me, I'm going to do everything I can to avoid engaging.

And

All-American Commando: neither do

I.

And again, it goes back to the way people act when they get desperate.

Look, when we came back from Texas to go to Katrina relief down on the

coast, I think we heard about it right as we were coming through Jackson.

Some guy killed his sister over a bag of ice.

Yep.

And this is what people resort to when things get really difficult.

So this is why I say community is so vitally important right now.

All-American Commando: Because you'll have each other's back.

And like I said, don't get political with them.

You don't care about politics.

You want to ask questions that will establish some type of a baseline.

and make it clear to you.

What type of person are they?

Are they the type of person that will be before it becomes a desperate situation?

Take advantage of people.

Or do you think they will be the type of person that in a tough

situation would be more apt to watch your back and assist you?

You have to be able to establish these things when you're developing a sense

of community because humans are the most vicious animal that walks the

planet and the most unpredictable.

And the reason for that is, is because of all the animals on

the planet, we are the most intelligent, which means we have the ability to

devise, reason, consider, and execute.

And execute, yes.

And that's, people are by far the most dangerous animals on the planet.

That makes it imperative for you to know your fellow human.

Simply put.

All-American Commando: In the EMP situation, I've already, you need to take

stock of how many rounds do you have?

What types of firearms do you have, what types of defense?

I have a million knives.

I'm gonna use this as an example later.

If I wind up running into people that intend me, no harm, and they honestly are

trying to do the same thing and survive and they have something that I want.

And they don't have a knife.

I can trade with a knife.

Always have things that are barter, packs of cigarettes, anything

that you can use to barter.

Okay.

Cause you're not going to have everything, but I'm going to get

back to the munitions, know how many rounds, depending on the weapons you

got, how many rounds for each weapon I can go through a small example.

I have firearms and I have pellet rifles.

I've got slingshots and I've got takedown recurve bows.

More of a primitive bow and arrow as opposed to a crossbow.

Now, I have, my firearms will be utilized for defense purposes

only because The first things that are going to be stolen out of the

stores will be weapons and bullets.

You're not going to be able to get them.

They're going to be gone.

Don't forget food.

All-American Commando: And food.

But I'm just saying, means to provide food.

Those things will be gone before you need them.

I guarantee you within the first 24 hours

of an incident, everything's

looted.

And the stores will be looted, so your house will be next.

And I'm not, look, I know you're not doing this, Patrick, but I'm not saying this

to scare anybody, but it is to prepare you, because these events will take

place, and it's only a matter of time.

This, none of this is to put anybody on a level of fear.

fear just to be scaring you.

That's the job of Wes Craven and Stephen King.

That's not what we're doing.

Just be prepared for it.

All-American Commando: Yeah.

But I would strongly urge people to get into primitive weapons.

I have a high powered pellet rifle.

I can drop small game with it and not have an issue.

Small game?

You can drop pigs with that thing.

All-American Commando: I could.

I could probably drop a person if I have proper placement.

placement The only thing about that is that it's actually

louder than a 22 long rifle.

Sounds like one if you're in the right place.

All-American Commando: Yeah, but it's actually louder than a 22

long rifle without a can on it.

So that makes me re figure a little bit.

But take note of what you got.

Then you need to take note of, OK, what is going to be the hardest things to

replace and what is going to be the most desired thing for defense of your life?

Remember, preservation of life.

I can't say that enough.

Preservation of life.

If you think at some point, yeah, if you think at some point you might

have to use a firearm to defend yourself, Then that firearm should

be the absolute last thing you use to go hunt deer or anything like that.

That is correct.

All-American Commando: That's what makes primitive weapons.

I deal a bow and arrow, a crossbow, a slingshot, get these things.

And by the way, it is considered a permanent weapon, but

All-American Commando: it is, but then you're going to have issue with being able

to acquire black powder at a later date.

So you're still going to be looking at.

Primitive in nature, I can whittle some arrows.

I'm thinking about getting a crossbow.

I can make some bolts for a crossbow.

They're not called arrows, they're called bolts.

I can make bows.

That's correct.

If I run out of arrows or I run out of bolts, I can get down in the woods

and get me some straight Whether it be bamboo or some limbs and pull out

one of my mini pocket knives or knives And I can whittle me some bolts.

So I will

whichever one you did not give to your granddaughter

All-American Commando: Correct.

I will always have a level of weaponry for defense and to provide food Now

I will say my firearms that would be defense weapons In case I had to defend

myself, I can rain hell on a small group of people if I'm in the woods with an AR.

I've got no doubt in my mind that an average Joe, I could rain hell on 10 to 15

people in a wooded environment with an AR.