Another foggy morning on the mesa in Santa Barbara. I considered complaining, but then remembered it could be worse. And it can always worse. I hear there are places that are experiencing serious heat waves right now, so I decided to be thankful for our cool summer temps instead. They are perfect for what I was up to this morning.
A twenty minute hike over the hill, and through the bush to the soccer fields, fully loaded with about 15 pounds of gear. Then a thoroughly enjoyable soccer-flavored workout, ending with another victory for team Old Girls (that’s what I’ll call the team made up of Dolores and I, since we are just so much older than Shauna and Laura). They wanted a rematch with us after we whipped their butts on Wednesday. We settled the question once and for all with a 6-5 victory that included Laura hitting the turf twice in truly dramatic (and foul-free) style.
Then it was another 20 minute hike up and over the hill back to the house. That was then end of my “official workout” for the day. There was more to come before lunch time though. As soon as we were through the door, I put my gear down, switched into my favorite running shoes, and grabbed two reusable grocery bags. After stuffing one bag inside the other, adding a sweatshirt, a list, and my wallet, I was off to run and errand. And I do mean “run.” The one mile run to the grocery store with my bag draped over my shoulder was perfect and I was loving those clouds that I had almost complained about earlier.
As I walked through the store adding things to my cart, I was supremely aware that I had only brought 2 bags and kept mentally calculating just how everything was going to fit. Did all of those logical reasonings make me stick to my list? Uh no. Oh sure I already had two bags of flour and other weighty items, but I threw in a few more. And why buy cut basil when you can buy a 1 gallon pot with 4 basil plants instead? Lucky for me, I’d chosen my two biggest bags. Everything but the basil plants fit inside . . . barely.
With one bag over each shoulder and a pot of basil in my hands, I headed home. I walked briskly, with my back tall, and my shoulders back. Oooh, this is a great workout for shoulders and back. Did I mention that there’s just no way to get to my house without climbing a hill? And the 20 pounds I was hauling felt heavier as soon as I started up the incline. And the legs were feeling it. At this point it had been about 3 hours of non-stop physical activity for me.
Was I done now? Ready to hit the shower? Not quite. As soon as I got the groceries put away, it was outside to plant my new basil plants. I had to be done now, right? Wrong. Then it was out to the front yard, shovel in hand, to turn over the soil and rid our property of some deep-rooted weeds. I finished just in time to make lunch.
Welcome to my new life. So far today I’ve walked, run, played soccer, moved from the ground to standing multiple times, done pushups and burpees. I’ve lifted, pulled, shoveled, and hauled heavy stuff . I’m trying to do as much as I can under my own human-power nowadays. I walk , I run, and I ride my bike to get places. We drive our car only when we must. I haul my own loads. I do my own labor in and around the house. I pull my own weeds, move, fix, and repair stuff. We have a list of projects, all requiring muscle and sweat, that Shauna and I working our way through.
I used to have to do a second workout each day to keep my weight at a my ideal number. (Something about how metabolism slows and muscle needs more stimulation in our 40′s.) Not anymore. I use my body for hours and hours each day and I’ll tell you what. It feels great. It feels right. No second workout needed. I believe this is just the type of life our bodies are designed for. We just got so smart with all of our “time saving inventions” we’ve cut off our own feet in regards to being fit.
So here’s to my Human-Powered life. Give it a try this week. Travel under your own power to get somewhere. Do a manual labor project that you might otherwise hire someone else to do. Do something using elbow-grease instead of machinery. It’s a great way to live.
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