# 3 CRITICAL: GET FIT

When talking with folks about adapting to climate change, one question I frequently get is: What is the ONE thing that I can do right now to prepare myself for climate change?

My response: GET FIT!

This often surprises people. Which is okay.

Most people don't see the linkages between climate change and personal fitness, at least until they are climbing a latter, in a wind storm, while hauling a tarp to cover the massive hole in the roof that the neighbors tree gauged during a a storm and there are more storms coming in the next few hours. And doing this in the dark makes it even more challenging. 

Most people don't seem the link between climate change and needing to walk three miles to get food and water because the roads are not passable due to wash outs and flooding. And then trying to haul all that back 3 miles.

And I am guessing most people really don't think about the strain being out of shape puts on their family, friends, and neighbors who will be kind enough to help with a tarp or hauling food and water.

Getting fit does not have to mean going to the gym for hours on end day after day. It does not mean training for a marathon. It means being physically strong enough to haul your own body for a sustained period of time in difficult conditions. 

Think of it this way - you need to have a mix of strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance abilities (cardio-vascular and mental) to adjust to and adapt to rapidly changing situations around you.

Our ancestors 2,000- 3,000 years ago did not have gyms or cross fit. They had everyday life. Our paleo-hunter-gatherer ancestors didn't have much in the way of carbs. In the event of extreme climate events, and rapidly adapting to shifts in environmental conditions, our ancestors would kick our rotund, soft, squishy, couch encumbered butts. 

Getting fit is a journey you can start right now, today. Go for a walk, lift some weights, challenge yourself. Go visit DAREBE.COM for some quick great tips to get started, that focus on getting fit and staying alive longer. 

You'll be glad you did. 

And even if you don't have to haul a tarp up a ladder in a windstorm in the dark, at least you will still be more fit than you are right now. So get to it!

Prepare for sudden shifts in your routine

This week has been a special kind of challenge for me. The confluence of the cat, the keyboard of my lap top computer, and my first hot cup of coffee proved that not all three things could exist in the same space at the same time. 

The end result?
The 
I did not get to drink my coffee.
The cat ran off.
My 5 year old much loved computer is getting replaced sooner than I expected - in 2 WEEKS!

I've spent a few days feeling very lost. I use my computer to write. I have to write to do my job. I like to write. I like to write on my computer where everything works and I don't have to think about it.

When I have to learn a new way to write (currently on an iPad mini),  everything is thrown into chaos. TOTAL CHAOS!

My files are on the hard drive, lovingly salvaged by my husband the Mac Guru. I am forever grateful he's here to help me in my time of crisis. But they are on an antique Mac Air. So I have to learn how to use the old fashioned track pad. I must remember how to be patient when something takes weeks to load. I must embrace my inner zen and not lose my cool when something I spent hours writing can't be saved easily.

So what does this have to do with adapting to climate change?

Simple.

I'm painfully aware of how much I depend on rituals that are so minute I don't even recognize them until they are gone. The sense of disarray resulting from having to use a different set of tools to write with has pushed me way outside of my comfort zone. 

Climate change will throw our routines out of whack.

When ports can't function due to storm surges, when droughts, invasive fungus, or civil unrest makes it harder and harder to get my beloved Tanzanian Peaberry coffee, I will feel it.

When floods wipe out the routes I usually travel to get to the grocery store because bridges have been neglected for years, I will feel it.

When the water from my kitchen tap becomes unsafe to drink because drought has led to water sources reaching dangerous levels of pollutants, I will feel it.

None of these scenarios are insurmountable. But they throw off a routine.

And we have to learn to adapt.

Today, I'll be honest, if I am feeling this challenged by a seemingly minor change in my routin, I wonder how well I will adapt to climate change myself?

A few clever fixes, knowing how to adapt to the crisis has let me keep working, even with a few inconveniences. Sort of. This time...

Getting it done

Some days, just getting something done and finished is a real pleasure. Especially when it's been hanging over your head for so long you forgot what it felt like to have it gone. Nice!