Survival Smarts – Page 3 – Conflict Manager

The Zombie-Hunter’s Diet Guide, Part I – Teja VanWicklen

In martial arts and self defense we make the mistake of looking outside ourselves for the keys to protecting our loved ones. We look for physical techniques and even weaponry more often than we go inside for answers. We study boxing matches and look for the magic bullet. What would prevail, boxing or judo? What will build the best body, cardio or kettlebells? In an actual self defense confrontation, attitude may be our number one mental tool and it is in jeopardy when we are over-stimulated and malnourished.

What on earth is an article on nutrition doing in a magazine about managing conflict? Because, through an overabundance of entertainment and processed foods we have created an epidemic of bad behavior, the symptoms of which are major attention and focus deficits, adrenal fatigue, pathological frustration, anger and road rage and even depression and mental illness.

In Sayoc Kali, a Filipino tribal art I studied for ten years, health and life management skills were considered the first order of business. There is an old saying I never forget, though I can’t find whom it is attributed to. It goes something like this, “When daily things are out of order, life is like trying to build a lasting structure on sand.” The brain is the window through which we survey and respond to the world. Is your window clear, foggy or even warped or broken?

When we think of food, most of us think of carbohydrates, fat and protein – the macronutrients (at least when we aren’t thinking of the trifecta of sugar, salt and fat). We rarely think of micronutrients, the little puzzle pieces that plug the holes and do more than siimply satisfy hunger. Micronutrients feed the brain. One could go so far as to say that in many ways micronutrients create attitude.

A few years back, comedian Lewis Black said, “For all we study about health, we know nothing. Is milk good or bad? … I rest my case.” Food quality is a big deal right now. A hamburger isn’t a hamburger anymore and broccoli isn’t even broccoli. How is it grown? Cooked? How far has it traveled?

In 2006 Investigative Journalist and Author Michael Pollan, ushered in the slow food movement of quality over quantity with his books The Omnivores Dilemma and Food Rules, An Eaters Manual. Pollan dedicated his book to his Mom, “who always knew butter was better than margarine.” We now have access to the most pragmatic and effective eating science and ideology in history, which, according to Pollan, though encouraging, isn’t saying much, “Nutrition science… is today approximately where surgery was in the year 1650-very promising…but are you ready to let them operate on you?” He suggests we eat a varied diet of real food. His simple mantra is, “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” We have all heard the buzz, but only a handful of us are willing to tackle ensconced cultural attitudes and a life of carefully cultivated taste buds.

When I competed in Taekwondo tournaments, I consumed tons of whole grain pasta, bagels and bananas thinking I was being healthy. I look back now and wonder how many injuries, headaches and sleepless nights I could have avoided if I had been eating the way I do now. How many wins did I forfeit while my body struggled to build a structure on sand?

Ask yourself a few questions to see if you may be lacking in some common nutrients:

Do you regularly experience lapses of short term memory? Do names escape you? Do you forget what you came into a room to do?

Do you often feel overwhelmed or tired? Even if you have spent a reasonable amount of time in bed? You may even feel physically tired but mentally wired.
Have you suffered from depression or lack of motivation without a clear reason? Does your mood seem out of sync with actual circumstances, or do you worry too much about things you can’t control?
Do you get every cold that comes to town?
Is your hair is thinning even though it doesn’t run in the family?
Are you are exercising and eating less but not losing weight?
Do you have trouble getting through the night without waking up fifty times?
Do you snap easily when people get on your nerves?
Is your energy level chronically low? Libido?
Do you have issues with healing from injury or with chronic inflammation like tendonitis?

Nutrition may or may not be behind these uncomfortable and life-diminishing things. There is only one way to find out. Here is the short and sweet of nutrition (without the sweet).

The Green Stuff

My biggest revelation of late has been in challenging myself to eat a minimum of a pound of vegetables per day. It was tough in the beginning, but it has become a craving. Now I generally eat at least three different veggies at every meal. The change has been nothing short of miraculous – generally clarity, stress resilience, less joint pain and many fewer colds. We all know it is better to look good than to feel good – at 48 my skin was drying out, now I don’t even need moisturizer and it has become easy to maintain my ideal weight.

The more veggies you eat the less you eat of other things, so stuffing yourself with veggies is also a great way to lose weight. I love asparagus. Grate lemon or even orange zest over it after steaming. Artichokes with a little butter and salt for dipping are my popcorn. A handful of frozen spinach in almost any shake leaves no veggie flavor and just a bit of texture. My son likes my “oreo” shakes. The spinach helps add the texture.

Eat wild foods if you can get them

There are often more nutrients in the weeds in your yard than in the produce you buy at the store. In short, ten thousand years ago we ate food grown in rich soil and pick wild berries fresh from the bush. We ate small amounts of nutrient-dense foods instead of large amounts of nutrient poor foods. We are literally starving to death and overfed at the same time. This is a brand new problem. Two meals that appear exactly the same and may even taste the same can be vastly different nutritionally. Where did it come from? how long has it been sitting around on a truck or in a warehouse? If it was once an animal, what did it eat? If it is a plant, what was the soil like and was it heavily sprayed? Antioxidants are a plant’s way of fighting off disease and pests. Chemically sprayed plants actually lose their ability to protect themselves. As a result they lose their nutritional kick. It is now possible to buy oranges with virtually no vitamin c in them. Just writing that sentence gives me scurvy.

Many weeds are excellent additions to a salad or even a shake – chickweed, clover, dandelions, lambs quarters and purslane have a higher nutrient density than virtually all of the salad you are paying good money for. Just make sure the dogs haven’t been there first and of course, wash it all thoroughly, even if it’s organic. Organic produce is sprayed with often very toxic and less regulated pesticides. Nothing is sacred.

(TO BE CONTINUED NEXT MONTH….)

The Importance of Illumination – Toby Cowern

In the September issue of this magazine, I began to discuss details of Everyday Carry Items (EDC) We started with the premise of a ‘layered’ EDC system, distributing items between pockets, small containers and bags etc depending on their importance and access requirements.

I, like many, am constantly reviewing, revising and amending my EDC, not least of which because of the amount I travel but also due to the extreme environmental fluctuations we have here in the far north of Scandinavia! With the long lazy summer days firmly behind us, the dismal vestiges of late autumn will soon break to a dark and cold winter, not only here, but in many other regions as well. Even if you are not entering a winter phase, it cannot be lost on us, as sure as the sun rises it sets, and dealing with the dark is a topic often overlooked in defensive circles. In this article I’m going to briefly but comprehensively take you through some of the considerations when it comes to the Importance of Illumination and some EDC options.

As a serious minimalist when it comes to equipment carry, to the extent I am very rarely subscribed to the ‘multiple redundancy carry’ mindset often espoused (I do genuinely have my reasons) a review of my Level 1 and 2 EDC (On my body or within arms reach) reveals 4 separate illumination devices(!) This may seem extreme, so what am I carrying and why?

For an overview I am carrying, in order:

A small red LED light on a paracord neck chain. (Left of Picture)
A small blue LED light on my keychain. (Centre Left of Picture)
A Tactical Flashlight (Eagletac P20C2) in my pocket (Centre Right of Picture)
A (Petzl brand) Headtorch in my small ‘Manbag’ (Right of Picture)

Before I continue, I want to highlight a twofold advantage of this approach. Not only does this EDC offer a good, robust and resilient approach to many issues, both small and large, but it has proved, to date, to be one of the best ‘conversion strategies’ I have had in terms of spousal/family type ‘buy in’, not only for my family but for students of mine as well. While this is a significant issue of its own that I will write about further in a separate article, it definitely is worth mentioning here at this time!

So why am I carrying this? This I’ll answer by item, but in reverse order:

The Headtorch – Not only in my capacity as a professional outdoorsman, but on numerous occasions throughout my regular daily activity, I will need to illuminate a specific area AND want to keep my hands free. While deepthroating a maglite is eminently doable, I can’t say it enables one to focus well on any given task. That, combined with the fact this action, when performed at extreme low temperatures will result in your mouth being frozen to the flashlight for ‘some time’, normally ensures alternatives should be sought (I reserve the right to provide no further detail on this particular ‘fact finding story’, thank you very much) However you get to this end result, we can be happy with the idea that being able to provide light and keep our hands free is often a very good thing. From writing notes, changing a tyre by the roadside, tying and untying knots, using tools, sharpening knives, or fiddling in the fuse box to fix the ‘blackout’ and much, much more not having one hand ‘occupied’ holding a light is a tremendous bonus.

One other, slight aside, but VERY useful tip on the headtorch. Look at the picture again. You see on the right hand side of the torch pictured the ‘battery box’? You see between the battery box and the light itself a small green colored object? This is a complete set of spare batteries secured to the strap of the headtorch with cloth tape. More on this a little later, but this tip has helped me more times than I can now count!

The Tactical Flashlight – For those of us living under heavy legal restrictions ‘weapon carry’ is exceptionally problematic. Even small folding knives in some countries will be dealt with in the most draconian way. A tactical flashlight has travelled with me through numerous countries, multiple security checkpoints, including American airports, and has never once been questioned or raised concerns. As well as offering a good, solid, white light source, useful for a wide variety of things. The strobe effect, hardened metal body, size and shape of this tool do give it some valuable ‘weapon level’ features. A lot of this tools power lies in its ‘pre-emptive’ ability. A good bright, light shone to the face is, at worst, distracting, can buy time and distance if used properly and can be used to conceal a whole bunch of other movement if you need it to. This is if you use the light when when directly facing a threat, but the ability to search an area more thoroughly (especially indoors) indicate or mask your location and clearly indicate your ability to see something are all additional and valuable uses. Even if living in a permissive environment where additional weapons carry is allowed, I still carry a tactical flashlight (as do many others I know) because of the advantages it offers.

The LED Keychain Light – In the first instance this is most useful when trying to find the right key and access locks. Having a light, right there on your keychain, prevents a whole lot of ‘fumbling around in the dark’. We are aware approaching our residences and vehicles is a time of particular risk, so minimizing any ‘faff’ time in these areas is highly desirable. I particularly like a ‘non white’ light here so it is not overly conspicuous and is not compromising my eyes adjustment to the dark as much. In this regard red or green light is preferable, but I am using blue for now for a specific, but separate reason.

The LED Neck Chain Light – Having a small, discreet, easy to access light source is very useful. I typically use this light for signaling short distances at night when I want to remain quiet, or if I have a quick job I need to complete and do not need or cannot access my headtorch. You will see from the close up picture this LED light not only works by being squeezed (typically between finger and thumb) but also has an on/off switch.

So it is simple and easy to switch ‘on’ and be held lightly between the teeth to illuminate an area immediately to your front but also keep the hands free. Why not use the headtorch? It’s a good question, and I’ll tell you a little, frequently occurring experience of mine. I’m using my headtorch very often, now ask yourself, when are the batteries most likely to ‘die’? Why when it’s in use of course, is the obvious answer! Now think, is it typically light or dark when using it? Hmmm, dark… And herein is the problem. Changing torch batteries in the dark is not the easiest of things, so with this set up, a battery change becomes easy, especially when I know exactly where the spare batteries are (Taped to the torch strap, remember!?!) As and when my illumination device fails, I use the small LED light that is immediately available to complete a quick and easy battery change. The same method could be used for any number of similar, small tasks.

I mentioned earlier the ‘spousal conversion’ benefits of this EDC setup. To touch on that again, briefly. Many of us committed to learning and training for conflict, face varying levels of resistance or concern from our families and frequently little ‘buy in’ from our spouses. This may be a general lack of interest to an active vilification of our lifestyle choices (“What do you need another (insert defensive tool name here) for, you already have so many???” is a frequent refrain heard by many)

While I will address this more in a separate article, I’ve found illumination devices a great ‘start point’ in getting greater understanding in families as to some of the benefits in EDC, and with these type of ‘small wins’ the stepping stones to greater acceptance and involvement are paved. I typically ‘gift’ these small LED lights to friends and family (especially kids), and often will actively put them on the keychain for them, so they ‘have it right there’. To date, no one has ever failed to understand the value in doing so. For a few this has then led the conversation to, ‘what would you do if you need a better, slightly more powerful light source, for instance in a blackout or if you had to quickly step out the house, for example to check something?’ Again, this logical progression makes sense to many and can quickly lead to the purchase (or gifting) of a tactical flashlight, especially given there are many excellent priced ‘entry level’ models now on the market.

Once they have become a proud owner of a tactical flashlight, almost everyone I know has enjoyed and been fascinated by it features and potential additional uses and most are very satisfied at the idea of carrying something that has ‘more than one use’. From this point, often, more ‘small steps’ can be taken in a positive direction. A number of people within a short time of owning a tactical flashlight have come back with some story of how it proved to be ‘so useful’ in some sort of situation they have faced, and this is one of those great occurrences that can lead to even more productive conversation and understanding of some of the benefits not only of EDC but development of a well rounded ‘resilient mindset’.

I’ve highlighted the main uses for my illumination devices and the details of my EDC here, but remember the possibilities are limited only by your imagination! I’ve left LED lights on and ‘discarded’ too lure students into ambushes, attached them to foliage for navigational way points, performed an impromptu shadow puppet show to calm a child after first aid treatment and seen the slickest deployment of CS gas ever, masked by a flashlight. As always, we should be challenging our equipment and our minds to perform above and beyond our expectations.

If you have a great story too share with regards to your use of an illumination devices be sure to post it in our Conflict Manager FB group, as we love hearing from our readers and learning from their experiences!

Every Day Carry (EDC) Foundation Concepts – Toby Cowern

We all routinely carry certain items with us, either out of necessity and/or habit. Even the shortest journey out of home or work place triggers an instinctive check of pockets and bags: do I have my phone? keys? wallet? By logical extension, those of us who analyze and assess external influences on our lifestyle, normally have additional items in our routine carry checklist, and it is these objects that tend to be classified as EDC items. The concept is far from new and should not be intimidating, although some zealots of particular EDC items can come across a little strong in their discussions and guidance.

An identifiable generalized trend in Urban Preparedness, Wilderness Survival and even EDC, is the obsession with and reliance on ‘lists’. I get the distinct impression that for most people purchasing items from a recommended list of “things to carry”, is far easier and less time consuming and gives a quick ‘sense of peace’. With this in mind, why would I have a concern over the ‘list trend’? My issue is this: if we look to the founding concepts of EDC, we realize that arbitrarily following a list does not necessarily give us the protection and peace of mind we desire, in fact, in some circumstances, it may put us at more risk depending on what and how we carry.

The aim of this article is to run through what I regard as the foundation concepts and therefore key considerations on items we carry. This fits exceptionally well with the theme of violence dynamics and conflict management due to the fact that many of us are relying on ‘tools’ to prevent or solve problems we may encounter. Where, why and how we carry these tools should be given exceptional consideration.

I’ve identified three key category headers to consider:

Stowage – Where/How are we carrying

What items are we carrying
What should be the demands and expectation of our equipment

Let’s expand on these:

Stowage – Whatever we decide to carry, must be carried in a manner that does not excessively confine or restrict our movement, ensures the items are held securely, but allows them to be accessed as needed (and this may be exceptionally time sensitive, especially in regard to any defensive items).

Most militaries will define individual equipment scales (also known as ‘loadouts’) right from basic training. The concept is simple; there are 4 scale/load levels:

Level 1 – Items carried on your person AT ALL times. In the military these would be items carried in your pockets, affixed to your belt or worn on your person e.g morphine syrettes worn on a neck chain. This translates directly to civilian standards. Our level 1 items would be keys, phone, wallet, personal defensive items etc.

Level 2 – These are items that are always within arm’s reach, but maybe removed from the body. In military terms, this would be your weapons system and ‘fighting order’, (Body Armour, Assault Vest or equivalent). Fighting orders revolve around the necessity to carry ammunition, water, emergency medical equipment and some key survival items.

This again can be easily translated for civilian application with the exception being the method for carrying items, since a military style webbing system may not be an appropriate choice in most cases. More likely, essential items are going to be stowed in a fanny pack, small shoulder bag (e.g laptop bag) or purse/manbag. Consideration also needs to be given to the type of clothes we are wearing and what stowage options are afforded to us by these.

Level 3 – These are items needed for extended operations (>12hrs), but maybe stowed during attack/assault phases of operations. Normally this larger pack (Ruck or Bergen) will contain additional supplies (ammunition, batteries), food, sleeping system, field equipment (shelter, wash kit, stove, additional clothing items etc).

For those who have given consideration to larger scale preparedness, level 3 is the equivalent of a ‘Bug Out’ bag. The intention here is to carry the essential items to sustain the individual for a period of up to 72hrs. This bag is normally stowed in a vehicle or at home/in the office, as opposed to being constantly carried.

There is a lot written about what constitutes the ‘ultimate’ Bug Out Bag, but often, in my mind, there is WAY too much equipment advised to be carried at this level, and this is where the dangers of ‘the list’ really begin to manifest themselves. That doesn’t mean there aren’t advocates of burdensome carry at level 1 and 2 also! We will look to avoid the ‘over burden’ problem in the next section.

Level 4 – These are typically ‘on base’ level items, which can be kept in a trunk, locker, in barracks or equivalent.

In EDC terms, level 4 will be items we potentially have stored at home for replacement or supplementation of regular EDC items if needed.

What Items are We Carrying:

Remember we are addressing at a conceptual level here, so what must be considered with regard to our item choices? I believe there are 4 essential considerations:

Individual – Who are you, what do you do, what’s your build, what’s your fitness level, are you carrying long term injuries or mobility problems, are you carrying for you individually or also on behalf of other family members? Answers to all these questions are going to significantly influence what you carry and how.
Competencies – What is your skill set, what is your level of training (especially in regard to any defensive items you are carrying), what is your experience in dealing with unexpected situations? The adage ‘the more you know the less you carry’ is often quite true. The greater your training, skill and experience level, the less likely you are going to carry equipment to ‘substitute’ your knowledge.
Concerns – This is one of the most critical, but also, in my mind, one of the most overlooked. What are you actually concerned in terms of personal safety? Or more pointedly, what are you preparing for? If we can’t specify our goal it is incredibly difficult to work back from that point to identify our equipment needs. Equally if we can clearly identify our goal(s) it is far easier to select our EDC items.
Environment – How is your physical environment (hot, cold, urban, rural), what potential threats or hazards are contained in your environment? Again clear assessment and identification of which hazards we want to avoid and/or mitigate is going to be influential on EDC selection.

The final part of our Foundation Concepts is to address what demands we have from our equipment. I have identified 5 key considerations in this regard. Before I begin I just want to clarify, it is very rare you will find an item that fulfills all 5 of these considerations. Think of it as ‘ticking the boxes’, an item that scores 4 out of 5 of these points will have a greater chance of making it on to my EDC than carrying an item that scores say 2 out of 5:

Fulfills an Essential Function – It is VERY easy to get loaded down with superfluous or overly specialized gear. In the first instance, EDC is about carrying small items that make a BIG difference. Investigate every piece of equipment and make sure you are carrying it because it’s essential.
Difficult to Replicate In Your Environment – This is coming from my ‘wilderness rules’. Being in a town or city means, in theory, everything is available to us if we are willing to purchase it, but that is not always a financially viable or stable approach. What I mean here is be careful not to load yourself down with items that can easily be scavenged if you needed to.

I expand on this more in the video here.

Multifunctional – Some items may clearly have more than one use (e.g. Multitool), however with some creative thinking, we may come up with multiple uses for even the most banal items we carry. This is a great mental exercise and also a good way of really pairing down your gear if you feel you are currently carrying too much.
Legal – Given the increasing level of ‘stop and search’ powers afforded to the police throughout western nations, as well as enhanced security screening in many public locations, the chances of being ‘caught’ and prosecuted for carrying illegal items, plus the fact it’s erm, y’know illegal, means we should not be so foolish as to carry anything that is not legally allowed. Ignorance of the law is no excuse here. Get informed. Also understand, there are many, many, legal alternatives to items that maybe banned. This takes us back to our ‘training and competence’ development.
Discreet – I am a firm believer in the ‘Grey Man’ theory. You may want to walk around primed for imminent apocalyptic action, just don’t look like you are. Blending with your environment is something you want to and should be able to do. EDC item selection and carry methods can greatly help or hinder this process.

With a clear understanding and grasp of these foundation concepts, it should be easier to carry EDC items more suited to us and our situation, rather than carrying generic items from a different individual´s list. This makes us not only more prepared, but more informed and therefore confident in the equipment we are carrying.

In subsequent articles I will be going through some of my personal carry items and going into more detail on how these foundation concepts relate. All of this said, the final note is to know and understand EDC needs to be fluid and dynamic, making it easy for us to change, amend, add or remove items as we see necessary in changing circumstances. This will also be covered in more detail soon.