Family Emergency Response Plan

Understanding just what exactly could happen in the first few weeks of a national or global crisis and how you must have your own emergency response plan in place could mean the difference between your family's survival or preventable demise. I hate to make that sound so harsh but the truth is once the grocery store shelves are empty (within a few hours if not minutes) you have to be able to sustain yourself and family for up to 3-6 months on what you have in your home.

Can you do that now?

Do you have enough food, water, cash and essential supplies to sustain your family in the event of a national crisis for up to 6 months? Some experts say it could even take years and less than 1% of the population have the ability to sustain themselves beyond a few weeks.

No one really knows what will happen when a major shut down occurs. However, since the U.S. infra-structure is such a fragile machine and the smallest of blockages will have a ripple effect on its stability, it is a certainty that having even the simplest plan in place could put you and your family in the top 1% of those who survive.

If you have seen those shows on TV, you see the fanatics who are planning for world war 3, nuclear holocaust, U.S. economic shut down, civil war, the rising of the Mississippi river, biological warfare, etc. The reasons are endless but if you think we are not coming upon some sort of major change whether one large event or a series of events that could cause a shutdown of our current society and essential services then you are living in the dark and will unfortunately be a statistic when it happens.

History has proven time and time again that civilizations come and go. They grow, flourish and then die out for many reasons. It's almost like the natural order of things. Our current civilization is due for a major re-calibration due to global warming, pollution and over-population. Mostly issues we have caused. According to many studies, our little world cannot support more than about 3-4 billion people and we currently have twice that amount and are growing at an alarming rate.

Let's review some of the most common issues that could happen quickly should we have a shutdown of our infra-structure:

Water supply -- Since most cities water supplies come from hundreds of miles away it is very possible to lose access or it become polluted, tainted and undrinkable. The systems used to get that water to your community or home could be destroyed or compromised.

Food shortage -- If the trucks stop moving so does the food. If the trucking and railroad system can't get fuel, the ability to get food delivered to stores will stop. It could take weeks or months to get even a small trickle of supplies to your community.

Power shut down -- It would be very easy to shut down our power plants. If trains aren't running and the coal isn't coming, many of the power plants will shut down. Plus, with the possibility of civil unrest or war, it is very easy to target our major power plants and water sources and take them out thus crippling most of the population within days.

Communications shut down -- Have you ever tried using your cell phone when there is a major storm coming and you get that message that the grid is full try again later. The cell phone infrastructure will be shut down and become useless. If you use an Internet phone that won't work either as the Internet will also be shut down sporadically in many areas causing a system overload. Hard line phones are your best bet, but again, that system too can overload and shut down, but not as easy as cell or Internet.

The mail system will cease to run due to the fuel shortage. In essence, we will be living in the Middle Ages once again. Carrier pigeons?

Riots in streets -- It is not crazy to think all the people who are un-prepared will take to the streets. There are lots of homes and businesses with all the supplies they need. A mob of 20-30 people with guns and clubs can ransack your house in about 10 minutes taking whatever they want and doing whatever they want with you or your family. The police will be overwhelmed and you will not be able to call 911 for help since the phones will be shut down.

Banks shut down -- The banks will run out of money and if you think your ATM card will work think again. Cash and bartering will be king. Those with cash (if it's worth anything) or something to barter like food and water will be able to get the things they need to support themselves. It is recommended to have some cash on hand just in case.

While these examples could be considered excessive to many it is very possible. Just think about the butterfly effect and how one small event on the other side of the world could snowball into a huge global crisis. Watch the news and see that there are the beginnings of these events happening all over the world. The possibility of a global crisis is not only possible but probable in the coming years if not months.

Let's review some of the current issues in the news as we speak that could cause this butterfly effect: - Middle East unrest - Global environmental changes - U.S. Dollar and economic struggles - European Euro decline and economic issues - Lifesaving drug and pharmaceutical shortages world wide - Toilet paper shortage in Venezuela - Food shortages even on the most advanced countries like the US or China - Over population - Smaller countries seeking and developing nuclear technology - Oil shortages not able to keep up with demand

While there are many more, these are the ones that can ripple into a massive global crisis.

Having even the smallest plan can make or break your family's survival. Even if you are living paycheck to paycheck like most families, it is very possible to build up an emergency supply cache over a small time period for little cash outlay. Make it a priority to buy or do something every week that will contribute to your family emergency response plan. Put together your emergency list and got to work. Make it a fun project for the family and watch how everyone gets involved.

Read More

Home Sweet Home - From Homeless to Hopeful

A little over two years ago, Alan and I were faced with being homeless. We left our home in Bushnell, Florida with a U-Haul full of our belongings and five hundred dollars to our name. My aunt got us a storage building to put all of our things in and we had no clue where we were going to stay. For a while we stayed in a house that belonged to a friend of ours without electricity. It was a scary and difficult time in our lives. Then, thankfully a close friend and family member allowed us to rent a one room apartment she had behind her house. It was a tool shed that had been remodeled into a "cottage". We lived there until we could get on our feet and paid a very small amount of rent to live there. That tool shed was such a blessing to us. We had shelter and we were safe.
I remember going to church and a pastor telling us that everything that had been taken from us would be returned seven fold.

From the tool shed, we moved into a one bedroom single wide trailer. We felt so blessed to have our own home. We were ready to get our furniture from storage and move in. The place was very small so we only got a few things out of storage and bought a new bed because ours was too big for the trailer. Eventually. Nicholas came home to live with us and we needed something bigger. We found out that our neighbors living in the two bedroom house that our landlord had, were moving into his three bedroom. We were blessed once again, moving into the small two bedroom home. It was very small but just big enough for the three of us. Sadly, when we were ready to move in, we found out that all of our stuff was stolen from our storage building. That was a very heartbreaking moment for us. We had no furniture, curtains, household items, etc. We lost personal keepsakes like photos and journals. Still to this day, when I think about it, I get very upset, however God is doing a work in both of us regarding material things.

You see at one point in my life, I had an abundance. I had a 4800 square foot house with a pool. I went from having everything materially I could ever ask for to having almost nothing. We had to start over completely. The funny thing is with each little step, with every little thing we acquired, we were both so tickled, so thankful and feeling so blessed. A few weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to be able to move into the three bedroom home. We spent a lot of time painting and decorating. Not only did we get blessed with a bigger, nicer home, but the couple who moved out was buying new furniture and blessed us with a living room set, a bedroom set and several household items we needed. Yesterday, we were working in the yard and both Alan and I were overwhelmed with a sense of being blessed abundantly. I believe that God wants us to be thankful and content with what we have and little by little, He adds blessings to us. Each time we have become more and more thankful for the little things. The moral of this story is that nothing is ever too hopeless for God. Once you realize that your provision comes from Him, you will have no reason to worry about where you will live, things that you lack and you realize that He will provide all your needs, even if it is one baby step at a time.

Someday, Alan and I will buy our own home. Until then, we are ever so grateful for the home we live in now. It is full of love, handmade items and gifts from people that God has put in our lives. We are living in abundance. Abundance of love, gratitude and blessings. We have wonderful neighbors in a close community where every one knows each other. It's like a family and we love it. We don't know what the future holds or where God will take us next, but we don't worry. Our faith and trust is in the Lord God Almighty. We willingly surrender everything to Him and He does not let us down. We are truly living a blessed life. Look around you, do you see the blessings? Are you thankful for the little things? I believe that God will not bless any of us with more if we don't appreciate and take care of what He has already blessed us with. Count your blessings, write down what you are thankful for. If you do this, you will see the blessings you have and focus on that rather than what you lack. I know I do.

Read More

Tips For Cleaning High Traffic Areas

Your home has its own high traffic areas, such as entryways, hallways, dens, and kitchens. These are basically any area where people congregate. It is not real surprising that these areas get dirty the fastest.

Keeping the carpet clean serves a number of purposes. It helps to prevent your carpet from wearing as badly and keeps your carpet looking new for much longer. Dirt can be very corrosive. If allowed to build up on your carpet, walking on it will help break down the carpet fibers. This makes it very important for you to remove the dirt frequently from your carpet. The worse locations to deal with, are the high traffic areas.

You might want to consider the use of area rugs or carpet runners on your high traffic areas, this will help protect your carpet and make it look new longer. Sometimes it is the small things that count. Declare a shoes off policy in your home and use a shoe mat at the front entrance. This will come in handy and people will be more prone to take off their shoes or wipe their shoes as they enter your home.

The best thing to do is to clean the traffic areas before they become really dirty. If you wait until your carpet is filthy, cleaning is harder, takes longer, and cost more. Vacuum before and after cleaning. Pretreat the stained areas with a drop of detergent mixed with hot water in a spray bottle and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before you start cleaning. Do not over wet the carpet and let it dry thoroughly.

The best way to clean a stain is to get to it immediately, do not wait. The longer the stain reacts with the carpeting the harder to remove it. Eighty percent of stains can be removed with plain tap water. If you have a stubborn stain then you might need to use a stain remover. Blot, don't scrub or rub the area. If the spot is tough, try club soda or vinegar on it.

With a little extra care, your carpet can survive and stay healthy. A good steam cleaning of the high traffic areas on a regular basis not only brightens the carpet, but helps it to come back to life. Keeping your carpet clean and looking nice, especially in the high traffic areas is not always an easy chore.

Read More

3 Quick Ways to Stay in Shape for Bow Hunting

Outsiders might not think it, but those of us that bow hunt know that there is a lot of physical stress that goes on during the hunt. Getting up and down from a tree stand, trekking to the perfect hunting location, or just simply carrying your gear out into the field could all leave you winded before the hunt even starts. If you are completely drained before you start your hunt, how can you expect to be successful? This is why it pays to be in shape, not just during hunting season, but throughout the year. Fact of the matter is though, that we don't all have the time. If you are looking for a few quick exercises you can do during the day that will improve your hunting fitness, I would suggest reading below.

Lunges

If you are hunting in mountainous areas, or you have a long trek out to your hunting location then you know how important a strong set of legs are. Not only are you carrying your archery gear, but you are also carrying yourself against gravity. I suggest doing lunges 2-3 times a week in 10-15 minute intervals. I like to break up my 15 minutes into three 5 minute sets.

Planks

Planks are another one of those great all around exercises. Having a perfectly paved street is great, but how often is the ground that you walk on, in the field, level? I am almost certain that you will need to walk on uneven ground when you are hunting. If you are spot and stalk bow hunting, then it is imperative that you have a strong core to keep you balanced. These same core muscles are used to keep you tree stand hunters balanced when you are climbing the ladder. They are also used once you have gotten into place on your tree stand to maintain your stability. I typically do as many rounds of these as I can at a minute apiece. Then I rest for 10-15 seconds and try to do the next one. See how long you can last, and I am sure that you will thank yourself later.

Old Fashioned Running

There are so many new fitness fads out there that it can sometimes get lost that good old-fashioned running is great for endurance. Cardiovascular endurance is important for any type of hunter because you don't want to be huffing and puffing. The more endurance you build up, the more focused you can be out in the field when the moment hits. you would be surprised how much you lose focus when you are winded. The more you run, the better, but I usually like to do around 1-2 miles a day. I push it to 3-5 if I have the time/energy.

When you are out in the field, you need your body to run like a well oiled machine. You wouldn't keep your car for years without taking it to get serviced, would you? Why would you do that to your own body? You need your body to perform at its peak when you are out in the field. How else are you going to carry all of your bow hunting gear? If you do the required maintenance on yourself, there is no reason that you will not boost your performance out in the field. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments below.

Read More

Basic and Easy Muay Thai Workouts

No matter if you are simply working out for fun, fitness or to fight, maintaining a well body structure, building stamina and strengthening body muscles are extremely important to lead a healthy lifestyle. When we talk about different modes of workouts to tone up our figure well, then basic Muay Thai exercises really prove to be the best.

Many people still think that exercises like Kettle bell and Tae Bo put better effects on overall wellbeing but they cannot match the benefits of Muay Thai workouts. Fundamental Muay Thai workout techniques are extremely easy that help to improve your strength and fitness regardless what goals you have!

Here we are sharing some of the best Muay Thai workouts and free exercise plans which will bring astonishing results! These exercises are so simple that you don't need to join specific Muay Thai gyms, you can do it very easily at your home.

Warm Up Exercises Before Training:

Just similar to any type of workout, lack of proper warm up and stretching exercises put bad impacts on body which may experience during or after workout. It will be best to perform short running or skipping rope or even simple jumping jacks. Keep warming up your body for up to 10 to 15 minutes.

Shadow Boxing:

After you completely warm up your body, then it's time to stand in front of a large mirror and try shadow boxing. Shadow boxing is such a skill that everyone must try out to improve his or her Muay Thai techniques. This will improve your timing, footwork, techniques and other combinations. Practicing in front of a large mirror will help you imagining your opponent standing in front of you. In this way, you can better observe your punches and kicks. While practicing in front of a mirror, you can clear notice snapping your punches back or even analyze if your opposite arm is protecting up your chin.

Bag Work:

Punching a heavy bag is a significant thing while practicing at home. Bag work is extremely important if you need to see good results in your home. You can use bag training to learn all different Muay Thai techniques while focusing on your punches, knees, kicks and elbows. Punching a bag when it's moving back and forth, will help you in learning your movements with perfect coordination and timing.

Trying to grab an idea of a particular technique will help your mind to focus on something while training. It will be good to fix time when punching the bag as hitting the bag for 3 minutes round will simulate the length of your fight. Give your best in 3 minutes and then take rest for a minute.

End With Strength Building Muay Thai Workouts:

Adding some strength building practices like pushups and pull ups will considerably enhance your Muay Thai skills. In order to boost up your endurance at home, here are some useful workouts tips for you:

Push Ups:

It is recommended to try out 20 pushups in 3 sets but you can adjust them according to your personal ease depending upon your starting strength.

Pull-Ups:

Pull-ups are tremendously effective in improving arm strength that will eventually develop your boxing clinch.

Burpees:

Burpees are very good for conditioning your body and exhaust your body, you can use them according to your body capacity.

Sit-Ups:

If you want to improve the endurance of your stomach, sit-ups are extremely beneficial. Try to add various types of sit-ups in your exercise routine to increase your stamina.

Continue trying these easy Muay Thai workouts if you want to practice at home. What do you think, will these easy workouts practices help you in learning Muay Thai techniques?

Give us your feedback...

Read More

Rugby Sevens - Top of the World?

We have become used to seeing New Zealand top the annual Sevens World Series, for they have finished winners of 12 of the 15 tournaments but we may shortly be in for a change.

Although they are once again defending champions, it has become apparent that they are not quite the force they once were and are now not the leaders in physicality, pace, skill or intelligence of play. Marvellous record that he boasts, coach Gordon Tietjens is no longer ahead of the field and some of his strategies are, if not obsolete, lacking in creativity or even intelligence.

Instead of looking for space or attempting to put players into gaps, the general objective seems to be to make contact and re-cycle the ball repetitively until the defence loses its shape. Against the South Africans in particular, this is no longer working, as the Blitzbokke are the current masters of the breakdown, their exceptional commitment and intensity driving away and turning over not just the New Zealanders but all teams. It is probably true that they are being allowed to get away with murder at the breakdowns but until referees respond they will continue to dominate.

Despite being neither the biggest nor the strongest team, SA are the most physical and they have greater depth in place than any side. On attack, the Fijians still lead the way with their skills, pace and power but this is not matched by defence, discipline, fitness or commitment. Under a new coach, Australia is at last making progress and may well become a threat, particularly if they can find more pace. Samoa have fallen away badly and do not possess a game breaker. They are short on speed and have no cohesive game plan. England are the best of the rest but after that the standard declines rapidly.

On paper, the South Africans should win this year's series but as we move towards 2016 and the Olympic Games, everything will change, as some, if not all teams will turn to some of their 15 man rugby stars. Imagine a NZ Sevens 'pack' of Dane Coles, Kieran Read and Brodie Retallick backed by Aaron Smith, Beauden Barrett, Sonny-Bill Williams and Julian Savea with Ben Smith, Malakai Fekitoa and Sam Cane on the bench. It is an exciting prospect, if a little unfair to those who train and play in the Sevens game all season.

Read More

How To Find Boxing Gyms In Your Area

If you're looking for a workout that pushes you to new limits and challenges you to keep on fighting, nothing compares with boxing. The "sweet science" is one of the most mentally and physically demanding sports around. Its leading practitioners are among the most disciplined, well-conditioned athletes on earth. This is not a coincidence. The incredibly demanding nature of boxing training helps prepare fighters for battle. So if you want to improve your speed, endurance, and strength all at the same time, pugilism is your best bet.

What To Look For

Although the number has declined since the heyday of the sport in the 1970s, it is still possible to find good boxing gyms or clubs in your area. Because the popularity of the combat training has grown among fitness buffs, these may not be the kind of gyms you remember from the Rocky movies. Instead of sweaty gloves and spit buckets, they may have spotless floors and air conditioning since many health clubs now offer boxing fitness programs or classes. Although these establishments are not completely geared toward the sport, it's probably a bad idea to write them off completely. You can, after all, get legitimate boxing training at any gym that has experienced instructors and the right equipment.

The Instructor

Because throwing punches is an integral part of every major combat sport, most instructors will know the basics of pugilism. But if the teacher was trained as a martial artist or an MMA fighter, he or she may not be aware of the training methods and techniques that set boxers apart when it comes to punching. As such, we strongly recommend that you look for an instructor who has a background in the sport, either as a fighter or as a coach. Because both coaches and athletes must be members of USA Boxing to take part in a competition, you might ask prospective instructors about their membership. If the instructor doesn't know what you're talking about, it probably means he or she is exaggerating when it comes to their experience.

Basic Equipment

Whether you go to boxing gyms or health clubs, there are a few standard pieces of equipment that boxers simply cannot do without. They include:

- Heavy bag: To develop punching power 

- Speed bag: To develop speed and timing 

- Double-end bag: To develop fast combination punching 

- Free weights: To strengthen and condition certain muscles 

- Timer: To keep track of rounds 

- Jump rope: To develop rhythm 

- Ring: For sparring

As you can see, all of the equipment helps boxers master the basics of the sport. For obvious reasons, it is highly unlikely that you would find a ring in a health club. However, if you are not interested in competition, it's still possible to train as a boxer without one.

Conclusion

Whether you seek out boxing gyms or go to a local health club, you can practice the sport so as long as you have a good instructor and the right equipment.

Read More