(Natural News) Living the prepper lifestyle is not limited to just certain times of the year, since at any given moment a human-caused or natural disaster can strike. Whether it's an act of war, political turmoil, a tornado or massive flood, we should always be ready to respond to any emergency.

But generally speaking, the weather is better and less extreme in spring and summer, and that gives more of us an opportunity to get outside and practice the skills we're going to need in order ensure peak readiness and fitness.

So with that in mind, here are several things you should do to take advantage of warmer weather, in order to hone your prepping skills:

— Growing food: While we can (and should) grow certain kinds and amounts of food indoors during the fall and winter months, spring's arrival means the outdoor growing season has arrived. Gardening is one of those prepper skills that takes a lot of time and practice to learn. You can't just put seeds and seedlings into the ground; learning how to prepare the soil, keep your plants properly hydrated throughout the growing season, and keeping weeds and critters to a minimum requires practice and education. If you haven't ever considered growing a garden, do so this year. (Related: Here Are 8 Seeds That Are Great For Long Term Storage.)

— Practicing basic survival skills: Granted, honing basic survival skills can and should be performed throughout the year, but summertime provides unique opportunities to both learn new skills in a more comfortable environment and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Plus, it's much easier to master skills when you're not soaking wet or freezing to death.

Plan a camping trip and while you're out, practice the various means of lighting a fire, building a shelter, fishing with a simple hook and line, sanitizing water, first aid and other skills. You can even consider building a fighting position for self-defense; killing, cleaning and cooking small game (if in season and you've got permission and a license to hunt); rappelling; and hiking.

— Get fit: Having a year-round fitness and exercise program should be a part of any prepper program. In a stuff hits the fan scenario, life as we know it now will come to an abrupt end and just surviving from day to day will become much tougher – physically, mentally and in every other way.