Category: PERSONAL SECURITY

April 4th, 2014 by Texasnews

Safety should be your number priority while pursuing your fitness goals. Now that you’ve decided to gear up and start a great workout regimen, you must realize the importance of protecting yourself at all times and paying attention to your surroundings.

 

Whatever works for you…

Maybe you enjoy early morning hikes, a nice brisk walk around the block after dinner, or perhaps a bike ride along your neighborhood trail; whichever the case, be aware of your surroundings and put safety first.

Time after time, there have been cases reported of missing persons, assaults, rapes and murders, and often the victims could have prevented this just by knowing and paying attention to what’s going on around them – looking for the warning signs and taking precautions or countermeasures.

 

Do Away with Distractions

Motivated by the rhythm playing from your iTunes; captivated by your phone conversation, you have completely gone into a zone and haven’t noticed the person trailing you… Believe it or not, it happens just like that!

 

 

Headline News:

Police arrested a man who kidnapped a woman outside of a Houston gym and sexually assaulted her at a local motel; the woman was sitting in her car when the suspect approached her with a gun – See more of her story.

 

Safety Tips for Gym Goers

 

If exiting a facility and you notice someone in your peripheral, go back inside and wait for the individual to leave. Don’t be afraid to ask the gym staff for an escort to your vehicle. If you are traveling from your workout location and see the same individual that was in the parking lot of the establishment you just left, travel a different route home or to your next location. If you are still being pursued, drive to your nearest police station – be very descriptive of the pursuer: approximate height, weight, race, color of clothing, hair, etc.

 

Personal Safety Tips:

 

  • Listen to your instincts; most of the time, your gut feeling is correct.
  • Mix it up, don’t have a daily pattern – change the scenery.
  • Lose the music – Only indoors , when outdoors you can’t hear someone coming behind you with ear plugs in.
  • Run facing traffic – pay attention to any vehicles circling or stopping.
  • Don’t go it alone; have many or at least one other workout partner – if they can’t make that particular day, go to the gym instead or try home aerobics, or run where many people are and withing eye and ear shot.
  • Avoid wooded areas (alone).
  • Don’t run when it is dark.
  • Take your cell phone each time.
  • Consider a large protection dog as a workout partner.
  • Don’t get distracted by gadgets; wait until you get inside your vehicle, preferably wait until you get home or inside a crowded facility; if that’s not possible, be sure your vehicle doors are locked, windows are raised, and the vehicle is started before making any calls or texts.
  • Don’t assume you can out-run your attacker; be prepared with defense mechanisms.
  • Invest in pepper spray – Some Ideas: Tornado 5-in-1 w/Arm Band, Sabre Red Jogger Spray w/Hand Strap, Sabre Cyclist Self Defense Spray for Bikes.
  • Invest in a stun gun – Some Ideas: Double Trouble Stun Gun (looks like a small hand weight), Knuckle Blaster Stun Gun (fits around the knuckles, can be carried like a hand weight), or PhaZZer products @ Phazzer.com Note: you do not need a license in Texas to carry a stun gun or Pepper Spray.

 

Mindset: That can’t happen to me…

The easiest thing to do is get relaxed and have the mindset that you can’t or won’t be a target; it’s incumbent on you to be safe while going after your fitness mission. For more on personal safety, Click Here.

Posted in PERSONAL SECURITY