By Dave Culver   Thu, Jul 15, 2010

It’s hot outside. I mean steamy humid to the point its foggy looking hot outside.    You lean back in your recliner and switch on the sportsman channel.    Reach over for that cool glass of ice tea and take a big sip.  Then you look up at the screen and you see these hunters trekking across mountains, hauling around tree stands, and clearing the trails for their atvs to get through. You think to yourself that you need to be doing these same tasks.  You glance down at your waistline and know you need to get more active.  This past off season hasn’t been kind to your body mass. You get winded walking to the mailbox each day after all.  In your mind you know you should get up and start doing something in preparation for the upcoming season.   But it’s still hot outside and you switch to another channel that is less thought provoking.

Isn’t this how most hunters feel?  They say “I will start getting in better shape tomorrow or next week”.  "Just let me eat this one last pizza".  Every year I go through the same thing as I try to get off my behind and start working out so that I have greater strength and stamina while out hunting in the woods. It’s so much easier to ignore the obvious and maybe just park closer to my stand.

But, I am starting today, right now.   I want to feel better, I want to be more alert, I want to be able to stay awake in my stand, I want to be able to see more deer.    

Exercise and me go together like gasoline and a match.   It’s just not a good combination.   I am trying to have a better outlook here as I know this will make me feel better and live longer.  Knowing I just can’t get up and run a few miles on my own, I need some motivation.  So, I enlist my better half’s help.  She is the healthy salad eating, fruit eating, vitamin taking person in the family.  She is encouraging and promises me a diet cheesecake if i get going.  After starting out slowly and making it to the mailbox without breathing hard a few times,  we started walking further and further.  We are now up to about 2 miles a night.  Ok, now we start picking up the pace and try to make our lap times quicker.   Before long she has me riding a bike and actually swimming laps with her in the pool.  I did start to feel better after a few weeks of activity.  I was more energetic, better alertness, and less grumpiness.

I think I am ready to walk the trails and scour the hills at a much better pace. I still have a couple months to get ready and I expect I will be able to assist anyone needing help in retrieving their deer.   Maybe I will get lucky this year and need this new energized feeling to pull my own trophy out of the woods.

This is just a wakeup call to all of my fellow hunters regardless of age.    I want to make sure you all return from those ventures into the wild. Being prepared by being in better physical shape is only the beginning.    Controlling your weight by eating smaller portions and yes even healthier foods is a must.   Getting at least 30-60 minutes of exercise each day will greatly enhance your energy levels and your overall mood.  You will be better prepared for those hikes in the woods, those long sits in the stand, or even helping others in their tasks.

Start out slow, walking was better for me as my knees are not about to let me run.   Casual strolls to the end of the street will soon extend to around the block and beyond.    Now, I have to figure out that portion control thing and I might even lose a few pounds.    Start now, get active and feel better by the time that season opener gets here. I'm still waiting for that diet cheesecake by the way.