The conversation has drifted to the importance of physical fitness, which I agree with, but I think hikermor is right when he says that knowledge may be more valuable. Most of the emergencies most of us are going to face most often are not on the scale of bugging out. Personally, medical emergencies are probably the highest prepping priority for me.

Last week, I got a real life reminder of why. My husband choked on a hamburger at the dinner table and I had to do the Heimlich. In my kitchen. For real. No equipment in the world would have helped unless the Heimlich didn't work, in which case we would have required serious professional help. It did work, despite my being very scared in the moment, because of years of training and practice. He's fine now, btw, and a much slower eater.

As an aside - I was totally scared. I've done a lot of first aid in my life, and never been scared. It's always an adrenaline rush, but this time, was different. The years of training took over, but I had to consciously remind myself to stay calm. I didn't landmark properly before the first thrust, and had to re-position. The third thrust did the trick. He would probably be dead now if I didn't know what to do. Knowledge is really is power, and it can be a lifesaver.

If you haven't taken a CPR & First Aid course, of if you haven't done a re-cert recently, get on it, ok?!