Preparing Your Body for Emergencies

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Preparing your Body for Emergencies

Over the past six months, one disaster story after another was the featured news story. These tragedies brought to light how important it is to be prepared for emergency situations. Agencies like FEMA advise us to have certain supplies on hand, where to go for shelter, and how to get in touch with love ones. They suggest shuttering windows and moving to safe quarters in case of a hurricane and to move to a storm shelter or small interior room to avoid being hurt by a tornado. If caught in a fire we are told to crawl on the grain and not to reenter the house to retrieve something. With earthquakes, sirens will sound and we are to stay away from windows and hide under a table to avoid falling debris. And in case of a tsunami or flash flood, take off immediately to higher ground.

In my earthquake prone part of the country, we are instructed to keep 14 gallons of water on hand per person which is difficult to store to do. And so the list goes on for we know that life is not always fair and unexpected events can come tumbling our way.

Though we are unable to control everything in our environment we can certainly take precautionary steps. Yet, there is a subject, that is not mentioned in emergency response documents, and that is how to prepare your body and mind to face such tragedies. They speak of supplies to have on hand and places to go for shelter but don’t advise us as to what physical abilities are minimally needed to live through a catastrophe.

I was proud of my granddaughter who survived the volley of fire that recently rained down in a Las Vegas concert. Though standing up front, excellent survivor instincts and a well tuned body saved her life. With the first shots she ducked and then, when there was a lull, with one boot on and another off, she took off over the bloody floor towards an exit. Her reflexes were swift and her thinking clear as her limbic system (fight and flight) provided her the necessary energy to find safety.

As we prepare our homes for emergencies it makes sense to also train our bodies in order to react quickly and purposefully. With a bit of advice from Anita Stark, my exercise trainer, I offer a few basic suggestions.

Learn to calm your mind. This skill is the most important one to mention. When trauma strikes, blood pressure tends to rise along with adrenaline bursts which have a way of producing a frantic go-go reaction that may not be helpful. Both body and mind need to be sharp enough to navigate through the event. Mediation, mindfulness, and yoga are practices that focus on calmness. These trainings involve learning to breath deeply in from the nose to clear the mind and exhaling all air out through the mouth before taking action. When a tree landed on my house and shook the foundation, shattering glass and sending objects flying, I felt my heart pounding while my adrenaline went sky high. I had to speak to myself saying, “Marilynne you are a meditator, use your training,” and immediately started doing well practiced breathing exercises. Within one minute I became calm and able to proceed with damage control.

b) Be sure you can get up quickly from the ground. Sit in different positions then rise in a spiral motion using all four corners of your body so that it is comfortable and easy to do. Lie flat on the floor and roll over on all four sides of your body before rising. Emergencies often involve being able to be mobile on three planes—high, middle, and low. If the ground is shaking and objects are flying, you may need to protect your head by turning it face down under a chair or table before you get up to exit the building.

c) Practice moving on your stomach in a creeping army type crawl and then on you knees like a baby. A smoke filled house requires you to stay low to the ground to avoid lung damage. Having the ability to propel yourself forward in this manner might save your life.

d) Challenge your balance. While cooking or brushing your teeth stand on one leg and then the other. Once you can do that with ease, swing the elevated leg in different directions until you can maintain balance. Try balance activities wearing shoes and again while barefoot. Both ways give you different challenges which will be an aide if you need to climb over fallen objects without falling.

e) Move around your home without wearing shoes. In an emergency there is no time to find them. Let you feet become sensitized, for they are like hands that touch the earth. Walk outside on uneven ground, on a trail or over land scattered with rubble. Step over branches and get used to uneven concrete. This is a good practice for many types of disasters or visits to third world countries. Ecuador’s sidewalks had indentations, uplifted sections, uncovered holes, and driveway protrusions. I fell flat on my face the first day I was there because I looked up at falling telephone wires instead of down. I assure you I did not make the same mistake twice.

f) Learn to sink and pivot your body quickly (keeps your joints mobile). Try sprinting a few steps, pivot and change direction. Look around and be prepared to move in the direction of your stare. A friend of mine was in an explosion in an accelerator at Harvard. He immediately moved away from the sound and ran to the exit. And though he suffered some burns on his back, the damage was not as severe as it was for those who froze and looked to see what happened before moving.

g) Walk quickly through your house and out the door. Try doing it again in the dark. Sensitize yourself to move without light in a small space, like your bathroom, before tackling the stairs or a large room. In a smoke filled building or in a nighttime event it may be difficult to see before you.

h) Add strength to your hands and arms so you can carry, push, and lift a small child to safety. When thrown from a raft while in the Amazon, I was caught in a whirlpool two feet under the surface. Though I did not panic for I knew I had the strength to push myself up, I struggled to aid my rescuer. Instructed to grab cleats on the back of his kayak, my arms were weak and I wondered if I could hold on long enough to be taken to safety. I survived unscathed but started lifting weights as soon as I returned home.

i). If you want to be able to help others, learn CPR. I unexpectedly had to help a man who’s heart stopped beating at a trade show in New York. His booth had fallen on him the previous day leaving him a bit shaky. We were talking when his eyes turned up and he slumped to the floor. A crowd formed around him and I shouted, “Does anyone know CPR?” I was very uncomfortable when no one stepped forward but felt compelled to get down and use my limited skills to compress his chest slowly and rhythmically. After about four minutes, with sudden energy that burst explosively in the middle of my hands, his heart started to beat again. It is an amazing feeling to save a life. Though I never thought I would use the training, I was so happy that I had been taught CPR.

No one can afford to be a couch potato and ignore preparing for an emergency. We can become better able to react effectively when there is chaos and confusion. Fortunately, an added benefit is that the suggested exercises are good for your health. So—if you have not been inclined to do so in the past or have just became lazy as you aged, stop procrastinating, get on board and build body and mind so you will be able to confront events that life has a way of throwing when least expected..

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