Chances are most Americans have seen some kind of science fiction movie about the end of the world once or twice in their life. But while Hollywood does a good job of keeping us on the edge of our seats at the movie theater, there really are people in this world who are forced to fight day in and day out just to survive. These are the people who truly understand the importance of prepping, because when everything is taken away from you, items that you used to take for granted like food, water and shelter suddenly turn into the difference between life and death.

When Hurricane Maria plowed through Puerto Rico earlier this month, it left nothing but chaos and destruction in its path. In a relatively short amount of time, millions of people found themselves without power, without the means to communicate over long distances, and without the essential resources needed to survive like food and clean water. If nothing else, the tragedy that occurred in Puerto Rico is a perfect example of why prepping is so important – you never know when those survival situations that you watch on the big screen are going to become a reality.

Many people believe that prepping for life off the grid is far too expensive and challenging for anyone other than a professional survivalist to accomplish. However, a simple breakdown of the preparation process reveals that prepping is something everyone can – and should – be doing. Because if you were to ever find yourself unprepared in a survival situation, where food is scarce and electrical power is virtually nonexistent, the chances that you will be able to live on and prosper are significantly decreased. (Related: Here are ten good reasons why prepping is important even if SHTF never happens.)

Next to food, clean water, and a structurally-sufficient shelter, it is strongly advised that all preppers have a bug out bag, so that in the likely event that at some point you need to travel from point A to point B, you can do so without leaving valuable resources behind. A bug out bag should contain items like medical equipment, backup communication devices in case your primary communication tools stop working, spare cash and extra clothes. The bug out bag, as you can probably tell, significantly decreases the time it takes to escape a danger zone because it enables you to grab all essential items at once, rather than spending time collecting them.

Part of prepping for a natural or manmade disaster requires one to have a clear, foolproof escape route so that you can easily get from point A to point B in the quickest and the most efficient way possible. Everyone in your family should be familiar with the escape route as well, and in the event that everyone becomes separated, it helps to have a rendezvous point established ahead of time.

The prepper understands the fact that surviving off the grid requires one to be physically fit in order to complete the challenges that they will inevitably encounter on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, sticking to a healthy diet and cutting out most or all junk food consumption is absolutely essential. Working out multiple times each week should also be a necessity for anyone that is serious about prepping, because living life off the grid requires an enormous amount of stamina and physical strength.

Truth be told, you don’t have to be Bear Grylls or some other professional survivalist to prepare yourself for a survival situation. After you stock up on food and clean water, and once you have a safe place to use as your shelter, the rest simply comes down to educating yourself about self-sufficiency and how to live without the technologies most of us use today. Anyone can do it – what is your excuse?

Sources include:

TheOrganicPrepper.ca

NaturalNews.com