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Everyone has bad habits. I don\u2019t believe there is a human being alive who doesn\u2019t. In everyday life, most of these aren\u2019t a big deal. So you forget to put your shoes away, no one is going to die from that. You\u2019re not a bad person if you have a weakness for chocolate.<\/p>\n
Survival situations, however, are different from real life. A bad habit that may simply be an annoyance to your spouse on a regular day could have severe consequences in an emergency. Here are 5\u00a0examples of bad habits that will kill you when your survival is on the line.<\/p>\n
1.\u00a0Eating out<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret that eating out too often is detrimental to your health and your wallet. It\u2019s much more expensive to eat at a restaurant than it is to cook your own food at home. New York Times columnist Mark Bittman breaks it down in this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n He calculates that a trip to McDonald\u2019s will set you back $28 for a\u00a0family<\/a> of four, whereas a home-cooked chicken dinner with vegetables is only $14. And, it\u2019s not only the expense. It\u2019s also much easier to overeat at restaurants because portions tend to be larger. Then there is the issue of making healthy food choices, something that may be difficult in a restaurant setting. Even when you ask for nutritional information, you still have no idea about the additives in the food.<\/p>\n TIP<\/strong>: Has eating out put a dent in your budget? Remember that\u00a0financial preparedness is one area in which most survival experts have little to say. I recommend Dave Ramsey\u2019s advice<\/a>\u00a0for budgeting and saving.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n But here is the biggest reason why the habit of eating out too much can be a bad thing. Even if you choose an establishment that primarily serves healthy food, an over-reliance on outside sources for the preparation of your meals can make you less likely to develop cooking skills and habits of your own. Even if all you have in your food storage<\/a> is freeze-dried, ready-to-eat, just-add-water meals, what will you do when they run out? Do you know how to\u00a0cook from scratch<\/a>, and are you comfortable enough with the process that you could do it every day?<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0Being out of shape<\/strong><\/p>\n An emergency situation, whether in the short term or in a long-term SHTF scenario, will put a significant strain on your body. It is impossible to foresee the specifics of what that strain will entail.<\/p>\n Difficult circumstances might require:<\/p>\n A fit person who exercises with some regularity will be much better placed to meet these challenges. That doesn\u2019t mean that you should sign up for the Marines\u2019 wilderness survival training, even though I am sure it wouldn\u2019t hurt. If you live a mostly sedentary lifestyle, it is never too late to become more active. Even the smallest amounts of exercise are better than nothing.<\/p>\n\n