Chapter 5. Body, Mind & Spirit

Personal training tends to strongly emphasize the physical, sweat-filled approach to fitness and good health.  Of course, physical exertion is an important aspect to better health, but there are many other methods to compliment holistic body health.  These include mental, spiritual and meditative approaches to well-being, which can be just as important for your overall health and fitness.  To be totally fit, your body-mind-spirit should all be connected and strong in order for you to be at your best. 

While the western approach to health used to separate the body and mind when treating people for illness, more and more people are turning towards ancient eastern traditions that treat the body and mind as a whole unit when considering holistic health. Yoga, tai chi and meditation are three methods that help strengthen your body-mind-spirit connection and encourage overall health, fitness and well-being. 

Yoga

  Yoga is based on an East Indian philosophy of uniting the body and mind.  It combines various forms of body postures, stretches and breathing techniques to tone and relax your body, calm your mind and manage stress and anxiety.  

According to the Mayo Clinic, practicing yoga has many health benefits including: 

1. Stress reduction 
2. Improved fitness in the form of balance, flexibility, range of motion and strength 
3. Management of chronic conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure, pain, insomnia, depression and anxiety. 

There are several types of yoga that can be practiced, making it an excellent activity for people of every age and fitness level.  Here is a brief list of the basic types of yoga and their descriptions which may help you decide on a practice that is right for you. 

1. Satyananda - a gentle form of yoga focussed on slow stretches, flexibility and deep breathing.  It is excellent for beginners and stress reduction.  
2. Hatha - a reasonably gentle form of yoga focussed on stretching and breathing.  Targeted towards beginners, seniors and stress reduction. 
3. Iyengar - A form of yoga focussed on precise body alignment, balance and posture.  It is aimed for those looking for overall fitness and deep relaxation. 
4. Kundalini - A faster paced form of yoga moving quickly through a routine of poses. It also uses breathing, chanting and meditation. An excellent physical and spiritual workout.  
5. Hot yoga (Bikram or Moshka) - Yoga practiced in heated rooms for both purification and stamina. It is intense, sweaty and requires a higher fitness level usually. 
6. Power yoga (Ashtanga) - A form of yoga that is fast paced, vigorous and focussed on flexibility, strength and stamina.  Excellent for those looking for a strong workout and weight loss.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese tradition and graceful form of exercise. It is based on the premise that wellness and relaxation requires the body’s bio-energy (or Qi) to flow smoothly around the body. The muscle movements are designed to stimulate the flow of Qi through the body and the major organs.  It involves a series of 108 co-ordinated movements performed in a slow focussed manner accompanied by deep breathing. These gentle flowing movements promote serenity and overall health and well-being. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, the many health benefits of practicing Tai Chi include: 

1. Reducing stress and anxiety 
2. Increased aerobic capacity, energy and stamina
3. Increased flexibility, balance and agility
4. Increased muscle strength and definition
5. Improved sleep quality
6. Reduced joint pain
7. Reduced blood pressure

Tai Chi is low impact, putting minimal stress on joints and muscles making it appropriate for people of all ages and fitness levels.  

Meditation

Meditation is a type of mind-body exercise that is commonly used for relaxation, stress reduction and clarity of thought. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, the benefits of Meditation include:

1. Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
2. Stress reduction
3. Increasing self-awareness
4. Focusing on the present
5. Reducing negative emotions 

While conclusive evidence is lacking, many people believe that meditation can help with many medical conditions such as: allergies, anxiety, asthma, cancer, depression, eating disorders, fatigue, heart disease, high blood pressure, insomnia, pain and substance abuse.  A type of mind over matter approach, if you will, that could compliment other healing therapies.  

How do you meditate?

There are no right or wrong ways to meditate.  It is a deeply personal practice that has to be explored with an open mind and heart. But there are a few basic suggestions that many people find helpful: 

1. Focused attention (closed eyes)
2. Relaxed breathing (deep and slow)
3. Quiet setting (turn off electronics)
4. Comfortable position (sit with uncrossed legs, open hands)

If you have trouble developing your own meditation practice, there are often classes offered where instructors can help guide you through the process. Try checking your local community centre, gym or YMCA for meditation or for the other types of fitness classes discussed above. 

Prayer & Spirituality

Another approach to holistic health can be achieved through prayer and spirituality.  A belief in a higher power can have many positive impacts on ones well-being.  They can offer a sense of purpose, provide community and social support, lift the spirit, prevent depression and help you cope with difficulties. While statistical evidence is lacking, many people believe that prayer can help various health conditions such as: heart disease, hypertension, stroke and cancer. 

There are many types of religions in the world practiced by millions of people. These include Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Taoists, etc.  Thus the power of faith has undeniable influence across the worlds population, which must stand for some amount of worth.  Indeed these practitioners find that spiritual well being help improve self-awareness, stress management, connectedness with others, empowerment, confidence and the ability to live with meaning and hope.  All of these things will have undeniable value during the struggle we will face during a zombie apocalypse. 

Prayer and spirituality is a deeply personal practice and I don’t personally believe there is one true faith above all others.  As long as we treat others well, respect our environment, spread love, compassion, and understanding, then we are on the path to healthy spirituality.  But I encourage people to explore the different faiths in order to better understand each other, and to ultimately choose the one that feels right to them.  Visit your local church, mosque, synagogue or temple and explore your options along your quest for inner peace and spirituality. 

Other Holistic Therapies

1. Aromatherapy 

Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile plant materials, known as essential oils, and other aromatic compounds for the purpose of altering a person's mind, mood, cognitive function or health.  The aromatic power of the oil is usually either inhaled or absorbed through the skin whereby it may promote relaxation, increase mental alertness, sexual ability and healing. 

2. Massage Therapy 

Massage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue using various techniques, to enhance function, aid in the healing process, decrease muscle reflex activity, inhibit motor-neuron excitability, promote relaxation and well-being, and as a recreational activity.  

Many people know well the positive effects of receiving a massage.  Part of this effect comes from the medical effect of the muscle manipulation, but undoubtably the human touch and feeling ones hands on your skin has an undeniable positive feeling, much like that of a hug from a friend. People require touch for positive mental health and emotional development. 

3. Music Therapy

Everybody knows the effect music can have on our emotions and moods.  Certain genres can alter our emotional state with their sounds and beats.  The loud driving intensity of heavy metal, calming vibes of classical, toe-tapping and inner soul reaching R&B, all touch a spot inside of us when heard. Music can cheer us up, get us moving or make us cry.  Try to use music as a tool to help you get through tough times and channel your energy in a positive direction. 

A lesser known benefit of music is that it assists in uniting the left and right sides of the brain, helping with cognitive thought and reasoning.  Albert Einstein often found that after playing his violin he was better able to work on his scientific research, and many other Nobel Laureates also played musical instruments, giving a nod of credibility to a potential musical link for healthy brains, and in the mind-body-spirit connection. 

4. Animal & Pet Therapy 

Research has shown that people who own cats and dogs tend to live longer, happier lives.  And people who care and play with animals even for just a couple hours have increased levels of serotonin and lower blood pressure.  Often service dogs are brought to hospitals and retirement homes to cheer people up. Many horse ranches have equine therapy programs to help children with cognitive and development challenges.  Sometimes just cuddling or playing with a loved pet can bring great joy into someone’s life - and we all could use more of that!  

Mental Health in Post-Apocalyptic Times

After living through the terrible ordeal of the zombie apocalypse the survivors are going to have to reconcile the horror and trauma they will have undoubtably witnessed.  Disease, despair, destruction all have extremely traumatic and negative impacts on the human body-mind-spirit, which may lead to substance abuse, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Its important that you look out for these disorders and try to get those afflicted some professional help, be it counseling, therapy or medical intervention.  Patience, sympathy, and a compassionate shoulder to lean on can go a long way to help someone in need.  Even if no therapists are immediately available a friend and a positive support net can really help someone in crisis get back to normal depending on the severity of their trauma. 

Why hope and faith are so important for surviving the zombie apocalypse:

The zombie apocalypse would be a time plagued with disease, death and despair of epic proportions.  Witnessing these horrible events on a daily basis for long periods of time will take a toll on our spirit, mental health and overall well-being. While we can physically train our bodies to run and fight for long periods of time, if we don’t have a strong spirit, positive attitude and good mental health to balance our physical selves, we won’t be able to keep going for very long.  During darker times in our lives, people often seek to find a reason to keep going, a higher purpose, a sense of calling.  Having a sense of faith or belief in a higher power can help keep a person’s spirit from giving into despair during these difficult times.  Hope is what gets you out of bed in the morning and gives you the strength to carry on, when you have nothing else left.  Hope is essential for survival.  Without hope and faith you can not survive the zombie apocalypse. 

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Morgan’s Story - “Believe”

Chapter 5. Body, Mind & Spirit

Morgan was running hard away from the community centre, but it was now getting dark outside and it was difficult to see where she was going.  The sun had set while she was searching inside the community centre, and with the street lights no longing working there was nothing bright enough to safely light her way through the town streets.  She glanced up at the sky to search for the moon, but the thick clouds blocked any chance of the moon lighting her way.  She weighed the pros and cons of trying to press on in the darkness or to take a chance of finding a safe place to spend the night before trying for the harbor in the morning. 

She made up her mind to take shelter after alerting a couple of lurking zombies to her presence after snapping several twigs on the foot path she was taking.  The loud clear snap of the branch rang out in the air, just as clear a signal to the beasts as if she had shouted hello! 

If she couldn’t see well enough to keep quiet at night what chance did she have to fight the things off in the dark either? It was hard enough in the daylight.  Nor had she any idea what the creatures night vision was like. There was too much at risk. She needed to find a place to lay low for the night, just until dawn at least.      

But first she needed to put down the zombies that were chasing her right at this very moment.  She found herself stumbling through the old town cemetery and thought how appropriate it would be to do it right here. So she pulled out her securely belted hatchet and with two determined swings of her blade gave them both an impromptu funeral.  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Rest in peace, zombies! 

Raising her head from the most recently deceased, the adjoining church fell into her field of view, and not needing much more encouragement she ran towards its doors.   It had been many years since she had last been inside.  She figured it was probably Joshua’s (her youngest nephew) christening, over five years ago now.  Those were better times.  She was sad now, thinking about those thoughts again.  Her memories flashing back to the family photos she had just saw in her mind’s eye.  

She was sad, tired, exhausted, confused and a million other emotions as she broke through the chapel door.  Why was all this happening?  It wasn’t fair.  It wasn’t right. Wasn’t she a good person? Wasn’t her family? What had she done to deserve this? She worked hard in school and at her job. She never hurt anybody, stole or cheated.  She thought she did everything she was supposed to, yet still this was her fate?!  

The irony did not evade her that it was the church she was now standing in while asking all these questions.  Looking around at the religious paintings and sculptures decorating the large open room, her eyes fell on the crucifix above the alter.  Christ hanging there, tears of blood falling from his face.  A rage swelled up inside her and she suddenly grew very angry with God.  ‘Well come on? If you’re there won’t you help me now? Where are you now God?!’  Morgan didn’t hear a response.  She picked up a copy of the Holy Bible and flung it angrily across the room. Its pages scattering as it hit the wall and fell to the floor with a thud. 

Feeling discouraged and abandoned she slumped to the floor and began to cry.  She had no idea how long she laid there, crumpled on the cold marble floor, but the coolness felt good on her hot face while she wept, so she simply laid there and cried until she couldn’t cry anymore, getting the anguish that had been building inside her for weeks out of her system.  

She started to settle down eventually, and she slowly sat up on the floor, wiping her cheeks with her shirt sleeves.  She took some slow deep breathes and tried to clear her thoughts of all her feelings.  She didn’t want to feel angry or sad anymore.  She thought about what her yoga instructor had said during their meditation portions of their classes.  Breathe in through the nose and out the mouth, in a slow, deep, controlled motion.  Let the air move through her body and flow through her veins.  Think of a rushing river, like water flowing over her body - washing away the bad, bringing the good, cleansing her spirit and her soul.  Take a deep breath and let the water rush over her.  It felt purifying in her mind.  After doing this for several minutes she stood up and walked over to the basin of holy water and washed her face with it.  The cool water was refreshing on her skin. It did feel good, she had to admit.  She felt a little more settled after her meditation.  Calmer, more centered.    

The church was almost pitch black now and she rummaged through her pockets to find the matches she packed so that she could have some light.  Hearing the rattle of the match sticks she finally found them and struck up a flame she used light a few of the  thick white candles on the altar.  She lowered them to the floor to prevent too much light from reaching the ceiling and walls, possibly alerting anything lurking outside to her presence within.  Staring at the candlelight she thought on a childhood song she had taught Evan and Josh:  

"This Little Light Of Mine"

There’s a little flame inside us all

Some shine bright, some shine small

The rains will come and the waters rise

But don’t you ever lose your light

In this life you will know

Love and pain, joy and sorrow

So when it hurts, when times get hard

Don’t forget whose child you are

This little light of mine

I’m gonna let it shine

This little light of mine

I’m gonna let it shine, gonna let it shine

May you live each day with no regret

Make the most of every chance you get

Let your eyes get wide when you look at the stars

With the same sense of wonder as a child’s heart

With the ones you love treasure the time

And for those who are gone keep their memories alive

Hold on to your dreams don’t ever let go

There’s a fire inside you burning with hope

This little light of mine

I’m gonna let it shine

This little light of mine

I’m gonna let it shine, gonna let it shine

There will be days when you want to give up

When the clouds settle in

But after the rain comes the sun

Don’t you ever forget

One day there will be no more pain

And we will finally see Jesus’ face

So until then I’m gonna to try

To brave the dark and let my little light shine

This little light of mine

I’m gonna let it shine

This little light of mine

I’m gonna let it shine, gonna let it shine

There’s a little light inside us all

After some reflection on the songs lyrics she knew that she couldn’t give up.  She had to keep trying to keep her light alive.  She wouldn’t lose hope, not yet.  She still had to check the harbor front for her family.  In her heart and soul, she knew that as long as there was still a chance she had to try.  Quitting was not an option.  

Chapter 4. Flexibility

A) Why is Flexibility Important?

Flexibility is such an important topic that it deserves its own chapter, not just a section mentioned after a workout. It effects every movement we make each and every day - when we bend over to pick up our laundry off the floor, raise a child onto our shoulders or to grab a can on the top shelf of the cupboard - all these movements require a degree of flexibility and range of motion (ROM).  Its also essential to our athletic performance and can be used as an indicator of our progress over time. 

In this chapter I’ll explain why we need to focus on flexibility during and after our workouts, and how to do it properly. It has to be part of every workout we perform - in the warm-up, during the actual exercises and the cool down.

Proper flexibility training includes warming up with light cardio before your daily workouts, stretching afterwards, and including techniques like pilates, yoga or tai chi in your fitness program for optimal benefits.  

B) The Warm-up

Let’s begin with the warm up. A light warm up should be done before each and every work out or sports game. This is so for 3 reasons: 

1. Injury Prevention: Warming up your body before any strenuous activity increases the synovial fluid in your joints (e.g. knees, shoulders). This fluid provides extra lubrication to ensure your joints, which are flexing and extending rapidly during the course of a game/race/workout, are protected against this stress. Think of a rusty door hinge being oiled up. Warmer muscles are more flexible and can stretch better. This is important for the times we’re pivoting, jumping, reaching, throwing, etc. You’re much more likely to pull a muscle if its cold. 

2. Overcoming the fatigue response: The increased physical exertion of a hard workout or game will tax the energy reserves in your body.  These energy reserves are typically stored in your body’s cells as a molecule called ATP (adenosine triphosphate).  In order to access this ATP energy source you need oxygen.  The harder you work, the more oxygen you need to access your ATP energy, and this is why you tend to breath faster and your heart rate increases with work load respectively. If you warm up adequately, and take deep controlled breaths, your body will be saturated with oxygen and ready for peak performance when the time comes.  That’s why pro-athletes always warm up before a race or the big game. Its often called ‘overcoming the fatigue response’.  Isn’t the first ten minutes of every game the hardest? I think so. And that’s why. 

  

3. Focus: A good warm up will help you focus on the task at hand.  A light jog around the track will help clear your head and focus on what you have to accomplish in the immediate future.  People who focus and visualize performing a task, even just mentally during a warm up are much more likely to perform better than those who don’t. 

A light warm up doesn’t have to take up too much time or energy.  A few minutes of light cardio (e.g. jogging or cycling) combined with gentle stretching (e.g. limbering up) is all it takes. 

C) The Cool Down

Your post-workout cool down and stretch is also an important time for you to focus on your flexibility training. This is the time when you should take a few minutes to bring your heart rate back down to your normal level, and you can do this while stretching out the muscles you just worked on during your training workout. This is important for both cardio and strength training sessions discussed in previous chapters. 

Post-workout your muscles are primed for stretching, and in doing so you can:

1. increase their flexibility and range of motion (ROM), 
2. decrease next day stiffness
3. reduce risk of further injury

Below I’ve attached a list of stretches for each of the major muscle groups in your body that you should perform as needed. Its important to be aware of what muscles you exercised and to stretch them accordingly.  These stretches will benefit anyone about to fight a zombie or cooling down after encountering one.

Simple stretches that target each major muscle group in your body: 

Neck - gentle head roll side to side

Shoulders - shrug and roll, or pull across gently across front of body 

Chest - 90 or 180 degree arm press against wall

Arm Biceps - pronate arm forward then reach and press down gently

Arm Triceps - bend arm reach elbow up behind head, gently press back 

Glute - one legged seat squat or the figure four posture

Hip flexors - kneeling lunge

Thighs - crossed legged twist

Hamstrings - a) runners stretch (put leg up against wall bar), b) touch your toes

Quads - bend knee behind, gently pull foot up towards buttocks

Calves - extend leg, drop heel and raise toes with bent knee 

Upper back (deltoid/lats) - pole reach and stretch

Lower back (erector muscles) - laying on back pull knees into chest 

This figure provides an illustrated guide of some basic stretches: 

Each stretch should be held for 10-30 seconds, and you should take slow deep breaths during the stretch.  To improve your flexibility even more, try reaching deeper into the stretch when you exhale a breath.  Focus completely on each muscle you are stretching. 

D. Advanced Stretching Techniques

i) Partner-Assisted Stretching (PAS):

Another method to increase your range of motion (ROM) would be to incorporate partner-assisted stretching (PAS) after your workout.  This will help you reach even deeper into a stretch than you would be able to by yourself making the most out of this activity.   

One person assumes the stretch, then after breathing into the stretch on their own for about 10 sec or whenever you feel ready, you ask your partner to gently apply force to the muscle group that you’re focussed on, typically by gently pressing or pulling on a limb. Communication between partners is important as too much force can cause injury. Only apply gentle pressure and stop before any pain is felt. Hold for 5 seconds then release. Repeat as needed. I find that three times works well, but always go at your own pace. 

ii) Pilates (and other stretching exercises):

Pilates is a body conditioning routine that may help build flexibility, muscle strength, and endurance in the legs, abdominal, arms, hips and back. It puts emphasis on spinal and pelvic alignment, breathing, and developing a strong core or center, and improving coordination and balance. Pilates' system allows for different exercises to be modified in range of difficulty from beginning to advanced. Intensity can be increased over time as the body conditions and adapts to the exercises (Source: Wikipedia). 

Activities such as pilates (as well as yoga and tai chi) are excellent exercises for stretching which increase flexibility.  You can take a class or play a DVD whenever you have the time for it.  Its quite affordable to practice as well, since all you really need is a comfortable roll up mat. 

Pilates, yoga and tai chi can be an efficient and relaxing way to develop your flexibility as each discipline incorporates movements that often target multiple muscle groups at once.  These Pilates stretches can save you time and effort in your routine.  Yoga & Tai Chi are discussed further in Chapter 5 - Body, Mind & Spirit.  

Here are some of the pilates stretches I recommend to practice for those training for the zombie apocalypse. These stretches will increase entire body flexibility:

- Shell into Cat into Camel stretches - laying face down on floor pull knees into chest, arch back and reach above head on the floor (shell), then shift to all fours with a neutral spine (cat), then still on all fours arch back (camel).

- Ab roll up - lay flat on back on floor, start with arms stretched above head still on floor, then slowly bend at waist rolling up and try to touch your toes while still sitting.

- Dynamic hamstring - laying flat on back on floor, pull on leg in to 90 degree angle, then straighten that leg reaching up to the ceiling, bring back down to 90 degree then flat to floor. Repeat with other leg. 

- Single leg pull in with bent knee - laying on back, pull knee into chest, then stretch down to floor, repeat with other leg.

- Scissor leg kick - laying on back, splay your legs in the air, kicking up and down alternating.

- Half-split with cobra push-up - splitting your legs on the floor as far as comfortable, reach your arms out in front but still touching ground, raise chest and head up.

- Saw - sitting, arms and legs out in V shape in front, touch opposite arm and leg, switch. 

- Seated spine twist, with stretch forward - sitting, legs stretched out in front, move arms to one side, then opposite.

- Mermaid - sitting to one side, raise arm up above head and lean to one side.

- Pretzel - sitting crossed legged, stretch arms out in front and bend down to the ground

- Double leg kick - laying flat on stomach, kick legs into your buttocks and back down. Do once with hands open, then closed. 

- Rolling like a ball - sitting down, tuck arms and legs into body, gently roll back and forth in a controlled motion.

- Open leg rocker - sitting, spread both your arms and legs in a wide V, gently rock back and forth in slow controlled rolls.  

- Leg circles - laying on one side, rotate your top leg in circles in the air, switch sides

An excellent guide illustrating these pilates stretches can be found online at: 

https://www.princeton.edu/uhs/pdfs/Pilates%20Flex%20and%20Stretch.pdf 

Try to add some simple stretches and some pilates moves into your daily routine and you’ll be reaching higher and further than ever before. You’ll have better posture and be walking taller and with more confidence before you know it.  You don’t have to reach all the way to the stars, just try to reach your toes! 

Remember you’re going to have to be agile, nimble and flexible to get away from those very determined zombies. 

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Morgan’s Story - “Reaching Further Than Ever Before”

Chapter 4. Flexibility  

After so much running and zombie dodging already today, Morgan decided that a quicker form of transportation was in order.  She peeked out the front window of the house towards the driveway and saw no sign of her parents car. Damn. She assumed they must have took it with them when they fled.  The only other transportation option she could think of were the bicycles they kept in the garage.  She carefully made her way to the garage attached to the kitchen and slipped through the side entrance.  She was in luck.  The set of mountain bikes were still hung on the wall where they were usually stored.  At least one thing was working in her favor today.  

Sensing the tension in her legs she quickly stretched out her quads, hamstrings and calves before hopping on the bike.  Christ they were tight after the morning she just endured. She knew even this slight stretch would help ease the tension that was about to come in her ride to the community centre.  Tightening the heavier than normal backpack over her shoulders as she slipped her feet into the pedals, she rode out of the familiar surroundings of her family home and into the unknown of her hometown.  

One last thing before she left the garage - she decided to detach the bell that her mother had placed on the handle bars for the usual road and pedestrian traffic.  Normally a great idea for safety, but not under these circumstances.  She didn’t want to be ringing any literal dinner bells this day.  

Morgan coasted along the side streets scanning the vicinity for lurkers as she pedaled on her way to the community centre.  She was glad she happened to pick out a pair of faded green pants and black t-shirt that somewhat blended into the background.    She had covered a fair amount of distance, and perhaps getting a little overconfident, she began to restrict her field of vision to a narrower path in front of her, tunnel vision almost, instead of scanning the entire field of view.  She reached a fork in the road and when she spotted a few zombie walkers on the left side she impulsively turned right, not being careful enough to thoroughly scan that street ahead on both sides, which was a mistake.  

By the time she saw the zombie she was speeding right in its direction.  Jamming the breaks she skidded out and slammed head-on into the beast.  She fell off the bike and crashed into the pavement - her, the bike and the zombie all a tangled mess.  She looked at the zombie which fortunately had its limbs tangled in the spokes of the bike tire and was fumbling to get out of the mess.  She reached down to her belt to grab the hatchet so she could kill the zombie but found it had slipped out of her belt on the impact of the bike crash and was just out of her reach.  Quickly assessing the immediate situation she noticed that the bicycle chain had popped off its gears so she snatched that up and wrapped it around the throat of the entangled zombie while she still had the advantage of time.  It took a few minutes but with her continued pressure the metal chain tore through the flesh and base of the skull, leaving the zombie dead, still tangled in the bike.  

But she had no time to celebrate her victory as the sound of the crash had attracted another zombie who was approaching from the sidewalk.  She scrambled over for her hatchet but the zombie had managed to grab hold of her pant leg and she fell over again, this time with the zombie just inches from her face.  It stank just as awful as the others, she had to stop herself from retching.  Using her right hand to close around the throat of the beast and hold it off of her, she reached back with her left hand, searching for the hatchet.  She knew it was so very close.  She felt the end of the handle with her fingertips, agonizingly just out of reach.  So she breathed deeper and stretched harder and further into her left side and was barely just able to grasp the handle of the weapon.  Tightening her grip on the handle she flexed her bicep and swung the blade forcefully into the cranium of the zombie.  It stopped snarling as the blade sunk deep into its temple and she pushed the corpse off her and quickly stood up and moved away from the beast.   

Sensing no more zombies nearby, she took a moment to gather her things that had scattered over the asphalt when she skidded out on the bike.  She attempted to pick up the bike but the zombie had bitten through the front tire and it was impossible to ride anymore. Damn it! she cursed.  It looked like she was on foot once more. Rolling her shoulders a few times to work out the kinks from her most recent fight, she began jogging down the road again towards the community centre and the faint hope for any sign of human life.  

Out of breath, but still in one piece, she finally made it to the community centre. The centre was a wide-spanning single story building, that was build the same time as the rest of the subdivision went up, about thirty years ago.  However, the building looked to have aged a hundred years since she saw it a mere week ago.  The windows were all broken out and the doors hanging from their hinges.  As if a riot had taken place.  The parking lot was occupied with abandoned cars blocking off the entrance and exit ways.  As if everybody had given up and run off when the roadway had clogged.  It reminded her of the REM video for ‘Everybody Hurts’.  

Tiptoeing through the main entrance of the building, her fears were confirmed.  The place was empty, not a single sign of life from within. Morgan felt crushed.  She truly had hoped to find somebody here. If not her parents, then at least a government representative trying to put some method to the madness.  But cruelly, there was nothing for her here, only more despair. 

She wandered down the hallways looking for any indication of what everybody had done from this point onwards but all she found around her was more devastation and isolation.  Tables and chairs tipped over, papers, pens and pencils thrown about in chaos.  She picked up some of the scattered papers and read them over, they looked like generic registration forms with columns for names, addresses, phone numbers and health card numbers. Not much help there. 

Peering further down the corridor she noticed the pictures of past christmas concerts were still hanging on the walls, although most were tilted, their glass frames broken.  Her eyes welled up with tears when she saw the snapshot of her two little nephews dressed as elves for last years Christmas concert.  Nervous smiles on their faces as they made their way out onto the stage acting as if working in Santa’s workshop at the North Pole.  Her fingertips caressed their precious faces through the broken glass.  She wondered what happened to them and her sister, Karen.  Did they make it out of town in time? Where they with her parents? Where they even still alive?  She couldn’t bear to think about it anymore.  She turned away from the photograph and willed away her tears. Steeling herself against the grief and pain.  

Continuing down the corridor, she wanted to check in the main auditorium where the performances were normally held.  Just to be sure there was nobody left, though she had little hope there would be, she just had to know.  Turning the corner she approached the auditorium doors. They were pulled closed.  Gingerly, she turned the knob and peeked around the door frame.  When she saw what was inside she suddenly wished she hadn’t even looked.  The fold out seats were filled with dozens of zombies!  Some were dressed in civilian clothing, others in army fatigues, but all wore the same unmistakable mask of the undead on their face.  They turned to look at Morgan peering through the door, then all at once, ever so stiffly, rose and lurched towards her.  Morgan spun on her heels and pulled the door shut behind her, but she knew that would not stop them.  She had to get somewhere safe and fast! 

She bolted back down the hallway, and ran into the directors office, which she knew was empty as she had passed it on her way down to the zombitorium.  Entering the small office she quickly closed the door behind her. Reflexively, she turned the lock and then grabbed a chair and propped it against the door, then pushed the heavy wooden desk up behind it to serve as a block for anything trying to gain entry.  But with the glass window in the door panel she doubted her actions would keep the zombies out for very long.  

She heard the shuffling and moans rising from the hallway and a greater sense of urgency rose inside her.  She looked around the room and saw the window in the back wall of the office.  She pulled up hard on the handles trying to move the glass panel up and open but it wouldn’t budge. Some idiot had painted it shut. Well that’s just great she sighed to herself. Probably a lazy mans idea of an anti-theft tactic.  Pounding began to emanate from the door, and seeing no other option, she grabbed a hard cover book off the shelf and used it to protect her hands as she smashed out the glass from the window frame.  Being careful not to cut her hands on the broken glass, she pulled her body up and over the window ledge and leapt down onto the grass.  She was sure to bend her knees fully and tuck into a roll as she fell to absorb the impact of the landing.  The last thing she needed was a broken or sprained ankle.  It might be a fatal injury considering her current predicament.   She was lucky the office was on the ground level, unlike her own apartment which was ten floors up.       

With the community centre being a total loss, all she had to hope for now was the ferry terminal and harbor port at the edge of town.  With one last look back at the office window ensuring there were no zombies barging through yet, she turned her back on the building and took off sprinting away from the community centre death trap.  She had to keep moving forward. 

Chapter 3. Strength Training

Your body will not only have to be fast and agile to survive the zombie apocalypse, but it will have to be physically strong as well. There will be times your strength, stamina and endurance will be tested to its limit and even then you’ll have to dig a little deeper than you thought possible.    

A) Benefits of Strength Training:

Besides making your body leaner, stronger and fitter, strength training has many benefits for our daily lives:

1. Improves core strength and posture
2. Makes everyday activities easier
3. Reduces the incidence of joint and muscle overuse injury
4. Compliments the maintenance of a healthy body weight
5. Helps prevent osteoporosis
6. Improves strength for cardiovascular activities 
7. Improves sport and athletic performance
8. Reduces loss of muscle mass due to inactivity and aging
9. Improves metabolism
10. Improves self confidence and overall well being

These are all great reasons to start and continue doing a basic strength training program.  

There are several tools and methods of strength and resistance training that you can use to achieve these benefits. I don’t think any method is better than another, just use the ones that fit into your lifestyle best.   

1. Weighted pulley machines - due to their larger size and mechanics are typically found in most gyms. These machines use pulleys and guided bars to help a person lift heavy weights
2. Free weights and dumb bells - a hand gripped weight that can be lifted and moved in various ways and angles.   
3. Resistance bands - Very lightweight, flexible and portable tools.  Strength is built by stretching the elastic resistance of the band. 
4. Gravity based - Using your own body weight for exercise; pushing/pulling your body against gravity to build strength (e.g. chin-ups, push-ups, sit-ups.) 

It is recommended that people do 2-4 resistance training workouts each week.  It is important to rest muscle groups between training days to avoid muscle injury.  Generally 48 hours between workouts is recommended to avoid overtraining, injury and poor results. 

The resting period is important for your body.  Here’s why: when you are straining your muscles lifting heavy weights you are actually tearing the existing muscle fibers and in the process reforming stronger bonds, reshaping your muscles so they’re bigger and stronger.  That’s why you feel sore 24-36 hours after an intense workout, hence the saying ‘no pain, no gain’. During this rebuilding period its important to rest your muscles and let them reform and rebuild without too much stress.   They also need plenty of water and lean protein during this re-building phase.  This will be the foundation for your strong healthy body. 

Never work the same muscle group more than every other day.  If you are keen to strength train daily, then alternate the major muscle groups.  Use caution not to overtrain or you will be setting yourself up for injury which could seriously impact your ability to exercise entirely.  Not to mention make yourself easy prey for zombies!  

B) Workout Programs:

Below, I’ve devised some strength training workouts for the gym, home and neighborhood parks that will help you build strong healthy muscles today and get you ready for the possible zombie apocalypse.  

1. Strength training workout for the gym using machines & free weights:

Try to do 3 sets of 12 reps of each exercise giving yourself 30-60 seconds of rest between sets. 

I. Upper Body Circuit (Day 1/3 - Monday)

1. bicep curl 
2. tricep curl 
3. shoulder press 
4. chest bench press 
5. lateral pull down 
6. mid-back row 
7. lateral side fly

II. Lower Body Circuit (Day 2/3 - Wednesday)

1. lunge 
2. squat
3. glute kickback 
4. ab/adductor press 
5. quad extension 
6. hamstring curl 
7. calf raise

III. Core Circuit (Day 3/3 - Friday)

1. ab crunches (machine or ball)
2. knee ups 
3. oblique twist (twisting curl ups on ball)
4. pendelum swing (place ball between feet, lie on back, swing legs 180 degrees) 
5. plank (floor work - on elbows and toes) 
6. back extensions
7. box jumps (or step-ups). 

2. Strength training workout for home using resistance bands and suspension bands:

Both of these types of exercise bands are lightweight and easy to use at home. Resistance bands stretch like elastic bands and exercise your muscles when you stretch the band out.  Suspension bands do not stretch, you use them to hold your body in place and use gravity to exercise your muscles. They are most often hooked around a door frame or other sturdy non-slip furniture.

Resistance band exercises:

1. Bicep curl (band looped under your feet)
2. Tricep curl (band looped around object in front and above you)
3. Mid-back row (band looped around object directly in front of you)
4. Shoulder rise (band looped under feet)
5. Lateral fly (band looped under feet)
6. Glute kick back (looped around ankles - kick back behind you)
7. Abduction/adduction (looped around ankles - kick out sideways)

Suspension band exercises:

1. Back row horizontal pull up - stand leaning back in front of wall holding straps at 45 degree angle, then pull body towards wall in back row motion

2. Suspended push up - facing away from wall move arms in push up motion with straps extended fully. 

3. Hamstring curl in bridge - laying on back on the floor with feet suspended in straps, move knees up and back to bridge position 

4. Double leg squat, into single leg squat - stand tall, facing wall, leaning back and gripping straps, then squat down using both legs, then lower to one knee - repeat with other leg. 

5. Plank pike - face down on floor, arms extended out in push up position, feet suspended in straps, then pull knees down towards all 4 position, then raise buttocks up into pike position in air. 

3. Strength training workout at your neighborhood park using gravity, medicine balls and kettle weights:

1. Medicine balls (throwing to partner, both vertical & horizontal throws) 
2. Kettle weights (woodchopper, dead-lift, bicep curl into shoulder press, etc.) 
3. Heavy knapsack lug between pylons
4. Park bench drills - weighted step-ups, oblique cross-overs, tricep dips
5. Push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups
6. Burpees and mountain climbers
7. Baseball bat oblique twists (bat is good defense against zombies too!)
8. Tree climbing, pull-ups/chin-ups on branches

4. Strength training workout for those with no time - using staggered super-sets to save time:

Staggered Super Sets combine multiple moves in one set to maximize time and effort.  

These staggered super sets will give you a whole body workout in just a half hour. 

1. Bicep curl into shoulder raise
2. Leg squat into lateral raise
3. Push-up into jump-up (aka. burpees)
4. Push-up into elbow twist (aka. hell-bows) 
5. Sit-up into weighted punch
6. Lunge into weighted punch
7. Dead-lift into tricep kick-back

List of websites where you can find free illustrations for these resistance exercises:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_weight_training_exercises 

http://www.weight-training-exercises.com/ 

http://www.shapefit.com/training.html 

http://www.fitnessillustrated.co.uk/ 

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises-printable.asp 

*Or just ask your personal trainer to demonstrate. 

Don’t Forget:

Before you hit the weights its always important to warm up.  A light warm up, for example 5 minutes on the bike or jogging will increase your heart rate, oxygenate your muscles and get the blood pumping, which will prime your muscles for training.  If you jerk weights with cold muscles you are essentially asking for a muscle tear, which can be both painful and debilitating.  To avoid this, a light warm-up is necessary, and so easy to do. 

Its always important to stretch out the muscles after each training session also.  Stretching will help prevent muscle stiffness, injury and promote healthy growth.  It will help improve your muscles flexibility as well, which I’ll discuss in further detail in the next section Chapter 4 - Flexibility.  I’ve complied a complete list of muscle stretches in Chapter 4. 

**********************

Morgan’s Story - “The Strength to Carry On”

Chapter 3. Strength Training 

After carefully dodging a few of the lurkers along the roadside, ducking between trees and random cars, Morgan finally arrived at the block where her parents lived.  Still lived? She hoped. It was difficult to find the right terminology at the moment, considering all that had happened recently.  She wasn’t sure of what was real anymore, or what was a nightmare. But sadly, she knew this wasn’t a dream because when the zombies barreled down on her the pain and fear she felt was definitely very real. 

Like she did when leaving her condo, she stepped behind another tree to carefully scope out the area.  But she wasn’t careful enough.  It wasn’t until the beast was less than a foot away from her that she realized how much danger she was in.  It snarled in her face and reached out for her, hungrily gaping its maw.  So startled was she that she fell over backwards, crashing to the ground, with the zombie falling nearly on top of her.  She knew she had to get the beast off of her before it could sink its claws and teeth into her flesh.  She knew her strongest muscles in her body were her legs and glutes, so she pulled her legs back into her chest, between herself and the zombie, and then kicked out with all her strength.  It worked!  The zombie fell back nearly four feet away from her, giving her enough time and space to grab a brick that she noticed was lying on the ground next to her.  Gathering her strength again, she smacked the brick down repeatedly onto its head, caving in its skull.  With each swing of the brick she took, she knew she was going to be safer, better able to prevent it from hurting her.  Her arms ached from the many times she swung the brick up over its head and back down again.  But it was necessary, so she did it over and over again until the gruesome job was done. 

Looking at the crushed cranium of the zombie she knew it couldn’t hurt her anymore, so she dropped the heavy brick down to the ground and let out a sob.  Her body ached, and so did her heart and soul.  How many times was she going to have to do this today?  Was everyday going to be like this from now on?  She didn’t know if she could quite bear to keep up with this new deadly reality.  Slowly, she picked herself up off the ground, up and over the old brick walkway and continued tepidly down the road before anymore of those things could get her.

It felt eerily quiet now.  Too quiet.  On this same block she grew up on, she had memories that were very loud, very vivid.  Playing games of soccer or street hockey with her sister and the other children that lived down the street.  There were no cries of “Game off!” and “Game on!” as the cars would occasionally interrupt their games.  The only reminder of those days was the set of hockey gear still remaining in the middle of the road.  One net tipped over and the opposite net still standing, its netting stirring listlessly in the wind.  A few hockey sticks scattered around the street, but no laughing children chasing the ball or each other.  It was as if the game had came to an end in sudden death.  Not due to a sudden death overtime goal, but more to the sudden cries of their mothers. That yell from home that you knew you couldn’t ignore or there was going to be trouble.  Trouble, now that was an understatement. 

Passing the hockey gear she finally came to the house she was looking for: 78 Longrun Ave.  She pulled on the door handle and found it was locked.  Out of habit she reached for her pocket and realized she had not taken her keys with her when she left.  Her old habit of packing her keys, cellphone and wallet seemed unimportant when she fled her apartment earlier that same day.  But her folks were creatures of habit and she knew to check the big old rock just behind the rosebush for the spare key.  Jackpot!  She was in.  At least that one thing remained the same. 

Yet, as soon as she opened the door she knew something was not right.  Her mother always kept the house impeccably clean.  And the disarray that lay in front of her was all wrong.  Doors were left ajar at strange angles and drawers pulled open and left hanging as if searching for something in a panic. Pictures were hanging at odd angles on the wall.  But then something caught her eye.  The wedding pictures were missing from the wall, as well as the family portraits from her youth.  It was then Morgan knew that her parents were still alive, at least when they left their family home.  Only her mother would bother to take the family pictures when there was a catastrophe at hand, as most women would.    

Encouraged by that sign, she climbed up the staircase.  Although her legs were starting to feel like dead weights she felt compelled to reach her parents bedroom where she knew they kept their desk and their important documents.  If she was going to find out where they went it would be up there. 

If she was caught off guard by the disarray of the living room downstairs, she was even more so by the state of the bedroom.  First off, she could barely open the bedroom door.   From the outside it seemed like the dresser was knocked over in an attempt to block off the door from the outside.  Digging her heels deep into the carpet and flexing her shoulder and back muscles she pushed the door open the few inches needed for her to crawl through.  It finally gave way with all her effort.  Damn that dresser was heavy.  She had been bugging her folks to get rid of it for years but the very excuse they kept giving was that no one wanted to lug it down the stairs.  Oh the irony of it all now.  

Crawling through the gape between the door and dresser, Morgan saw that the bedroom window was left open, curtains swaying ever so slightly in the breeze.  It almost seemed like someone leapt out the window in a mad rush.  Did her parents flee their home through their bedroom window? It was only one flight up, with a soft garden landing just below.  A survivable drop.  Yet, it just didn’t seem right, but that’s what the signs were telling her. 

She made her way over to their dresser table where she knew they kept their stationary and important documents.  That’s where she found a letter addressed to her and her sister:

***

To our dear children, Karen & Morgan, 

We’ve been trying to reach you both for days but the cell phones, land lines and internet have all gone down.  We didn’t know what else to do but like in the old days we thought it best to write you a letter each in hopes you may find this here waiting at home for you at the very least. 

Its been all over the news that some strange viral outbreak has been spreading across the country and here in town.  It sounds so much worse than Ebola or SARS was a few years back.  We heard that there was going to be a town meeting at the community centre where they would be quarantining people and then putting them on something called ‘safe harbor’ ships at the ferry terminal downtown.  So that’s what we’re going to do.  We’re going to the community centre and then the boats down at the harbor.  We hope to God that you will too. Karen, please get your family there in time.  Evan and Joshua are in our thoughts more than ever now.  And Morgan? Maybe you’re already there. We have no way to tell.  

Honestly, we’re a little scared, but also hopeful this will pass in due course.  We just have to wait it out somewhere safe and secure while the doctors work out a cure or vaccine for this disease.

We hope to meet you on the safe boats at the ferry terminal. God speed to you all! We’ll see you soon, we just know it.      

All our love, Mom & Dad. 

***  

After reading the letter Morgan knew she had to try to make it to the Community Centre, as it was closest, and if that didn’t work out then try for the town harbor port and ferry terminal where most people who left town would go through.  But instead of the usual ferry she now had to look for these so-called ‘Safe Harbor’ ships.  If they were even still there at this point.   

Prepping for the trip, she went to her parents storage closet, found a backpack they had left behind and began filling it with supplies that might be useful along the treacherous road trip.  An extra sweater, rain jacket, pocketknife, matches, candles, some food and water, and considering that she had to kill quite a few zombies already she went down to the basement and found her fathers camping hatchet and slipped that into her belt.  It felt like she was preparing for the camping trip to hell and back.  Maybe she was...