It's impossible to know everything that's going to kill you. If you live your life in fear that death is right around the corner, you'll never get anything done. However, there are some hidden threats out there you should be aware of, knowledgeable of how to handle it, and what to do next.
Reddit user, u/squeezeday, wanted to hear what they should be wary of when they asked:
What is something that doesn't seem dangerous but actually is dangerous?
Okay, Let's Start Off With A Big One
frustrated homer simpson GIFGiphyStress. It can ruin your health. In particular the stress that you create in your head. Anxiety, depression, or a host of things. To many to even list really. Take care of yourself. You are a person too. You deserve to do you for you :)
[usernameredacted]Expand These Rules To All Exercises
Deadlifting.
I deadlift twice a week cycling through heavy and repetition work. For example, if I deadlift heavy on a Monday, I'll do five to six sets of one to three reps each with warm up sets in the beginning and a cool down, not AMRAP, set at the end. When Thursday comes around, I'll dial the weight back about 50 to 60 percent and do about 5 sets of 8 to 10 reps each, again, with warm up sets in the beginning, and a cool down, not AMRAP, set at the end.
Deadlifting with improper preparation or bad technique can lead to spinal injuries that you can't recover from. People, in my experience, usually f-ck themselves up during a deadlift workout either during the beginning of the workout or towards the end. It's paramount to warm up properly and less important, though important enough, to have some sort of back down work at the end.
In the beginning or a deadlift workout, it's important to grease the groove and dial in technique and thus, blood flow.
At the end, notice I emphasized not AMRAP at the end. At the end of a deadlift session, typically, you're spent and exhausted. Throwing an AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) at the end, you're bound to lose positioning and your technique will be compromised which can lead to injury.
Deadlifting is not a crime. You should deadlift but deadlift with proper technique.
Rats With Hooves
Deer. 99% of the time their fight or flight chooses flight, but when it doesn't..... they're about as heavy as you, maybe heavier if its a buck, and have feet made of rocks that they use to go 20+ mph. And maybe antlers.
It's not like a deer is gonna pick a fight with you, but every once in a while some drunk asshole who decides to fuck with a deer ends up in the ER.
Not Talked About Nearly Enough
Pregnancy and delivery.
Yes! I feel like people don't talk enough about how dangerous it is to carry and deliver a child. I've lost two people in my family due to complications in labor. One of those people being my mother.
They Will Go Through Bone Like Butter
Pigs. If the hog haven't eaten food for at least 1 day, it will eat you. So yea, pigs are dangerous, when they are hungry, no matter how cute they can be.
The place I live was fairly rural 30 years ago. People would have farm animals (chicken, pigs) that would walk free in their properties. I always heard of the story of a pig that got inside of the house where a baby was in a bassinet and the pig ate the baby's fingers and ear lobs. So yeah, I don't care for pigs.
Watch What You Eat
Food poisoning. A lot of people think they got a "stomach flu" and don't think anything else about it. Think again.
CDC estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.
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Smokey Says What's Up
Small campfires.
A tree root can burn for weeks without anyone knowing, then it can spread.
Embers can travel for miles before they extinguish.
River rocks can have pockets of water in them, and can explode when heated. I have made this mistake myself, and got lucky.
Always make sure your campfire is cold when you leave it. If you can't hold your hand on the ground, and I mean touching the dirt, for 15 seconds without feeling any heat, you haven't done enough.
Also, in most states it is illegal to have a fire in national parks without having a shovel with you. Just a heads up.
A Short Flip And A Cold Swim
homer simpson kayak GIFGiphyKayaking in cold water. My old kayaking buddy used to go out in water in the 40s with no gear until I explained to him how he was going to get himself killed.
Absolutely. Friend was a Marine home from recent graduation from Boot Camp, He was kayaking on the Great Lakes with his future brother in law (no life vests) as pregnant sister/fiancee watched from shore. Early spring. There were just enough wind and waves that one flipped. The other flipped trying to help him. Despite dozens of witnesses, there was no reviving either by the time the EMTs rescued them and got them to the hospital. Years later, and not a day goes by that his sisters don't grieve. Nothing has ever been the same.
That's Chlorine Gas...CHLORINE GAS
Mixing chemicals, namely bleach and vinegar.
RIP your eyes and lungs if you clean the bathroom with both of those.
A Wonderfully Dangerous Day Out At Sea
Boating.
There are so many ways you can be injured or killed during what ought to just be a fun weekend outing. Collisions with other boats, falling overboard (especially without a lifejacket), accidentally igniting the gas when you refuel, etc. And god help you if you've been drinking.
Just Six Inches
Everyone vaguely recognizes swift water during a flood is dangerous, but not how dangerous. Every time there's a flood it seems somebody decides to drive into it, or otherwise lands in this situation.
I've done swift water rescue training while wearing a life vest while playing the "victim". With the vest and after several practice runs I'm able to point my feet downstream and (mostly) keep my head above water just like the books tell you. And can remain stable for about a minute while swallowing water all the way.
If you're untrained (like nearly everyone) you're screwed if you aren't pulled out immediately.
Don't Be A Tough Guy. You Can't Punch Diseases.
Mosquitoes, dude. Getting bit won't kill you, but they carry so many deadly diseases and can even carry certain parasites like bot fly larvae
Even The Small Ones Can Become Something Bigger
A lot of people don't seem to care about small wounds and don't take care of them well.. You do NOT want to get an infection, those things are very bad and can also be very dangerous
Dude I knew at my gym, yelled out in pain in the showers after...
Asked him what was up and he said he stubbed his toe - he kicked this "lip" they had to keep the water in pretty hard. Was some blood but he was walking around and said it just really hurt but he'd be fine.
Next time I saw him at the gym was like a year later. He told me the infection got so bad they almost amputated his foot. It took him that long to recover and he said he still wasn't right.
For Those Up North
Hypothermia
If you're out in the cold and suddenly start feeling really warm, it's bad news bears.
Don't Ever Get Too Comfortable
Driving. If you know what you're doing and are paying attention, it's easy. But one little mistake can result in injury or even death.
Driving while tired. It is super easy to get into a very dangerous situation and not be able to realize it.
Piles Of Your Personal Information
Getting rid of a computer without thoroughly wiping the hard drive.
I've bought many a yard or garage sale computer and hard drive and most had anything from financial information to photos to documents.
If you don't care to bother erasing them at least salvage a hard drive's rare earth magnets and destroy the platters. Software is readily available that enables you to reconstruct files and folders even if they've been deleted.
Something Small With Large Consequences
Kidney stones, specifically not being able to pass them, can be deadly. My mother had one back in 2016 that she was unable to pass, which caused a severe kidney infection and led to sepsis. She was put on life support and my family had to make the difficult decision to take her off the machine after about a week and a half as her condition worsened and she passed away. If you ever have complications with passing a kidney stone, get to the ER as soon as possible. It could save your life.
Repeat After Me: Just Because Bear Grylls Does It, Doesn't Mean You Can
homer simpson water GIFGiphyDrinking sparkling clear rainwater out of a ditch while playing adventure man. You will sh-te and vomit out your own intestines for the next two days.
Oh yeah. Just . . . never drink wild water without purifying it. It's not worth the risk unless you're in immediate danger of dying of dehydration.
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