You can combine exercise with a useful activity
- col-teri-stein
- April 15, 2021
- 851
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one — we have lift off. Main engine cutoff. First stage separation. Second stage ignition. Firing of spin motors. Jettison of second stage. Third stage ignition. Third stage burnout. Achieving cruise phase and victory.
Joe and I have just successfully extracted ourselves from the living room furniture. After months of binge-watching TV, relaxing in the great indoors and enjoying many snacks out of shear boredom, those extra pandemic pounds and muscle atrophy are taking a toll.
A few weeks ago, we decided to make a quick, out of county shopping trip. We needed a few favorite groceries, and besides, it would be fun and energizing to get back to a “normal” activity. Even though it was a windy, raw day filled with sporadic fluffy snow showers, that was not going to bother us. We had been on plenty of trips in worse weather. I remember one shopping trip it was so cold I added a pair of long johns and wore my heaviest winter coat, hat, scarf and gloves. Afterward, I was fine.
Not this trip, we were only gone a few hours, and we were whipped. What happened? Are pandemic pounds to blame?
Spring (the season) to the rescue! Hopefully, the warmer weather is a chance to build our stamina, whether we want to or not. That grass is not going to mow itself. Joe has already gotten Big Blue (the battery-operated mower that once spent two weeks in my kitchen) out of winter storage and took him for a spin around the yard. I even got in some extra steps mowing.
But before any of that happened, I discovered the next big exercise craze — well, maybe not — but it sure is working for me. Anyone can do it, and all you have to do is open your back door and step outside. I’m talking about picking up sticks. With some kind of windstorm just about every week, there is no shortage of exercise opportunities.
Picking up sticks works every muscle of your body too. I’m using my arms, my legs. I’m bending and stretching, and later on, I’m tired and hurting.
The only bad thing about picking up sticks is there are too many of them. So far, I haven’t been able to just pick up sticks for 15 or 30 minutes. I have spent hours at a stretch picking up sticks at home and, other times, for up to three hours while volunteering at an area site.
It’s important to pick up these sticks and save your mower blades from damage.
I even developed my own technique. Using my favorite old orange wheelbarrow, I move around the yard, pick up one area at a time and then move on. I drag off the larger limbs that won’t fit in the wheelbarrow first, then collect the smaller sticks.
Picking up sticks is like a Zen activity. Not much brain power is involved, and your mind can wander. Only mine doesn’t usually wander to grand thoughts.
Here’s one of my thoughts: What is that old nursery rhyme? One, two, buckle my shoe. Three, four, shut the door. Five, six, pick up sticks. Seven, eight, lay them straight. Nine, 10, a big, fat hen. But I think we always said do it again, and then we ignored the rest of the verses that go up to 19, 20, my belly’s empty. The lyrics change depending on the source. I forget where I first heard this nursery rhyme, but it sure brings back warm feelings from childhood.
Another productive activity while picking up sticks is the opportunity to find and remove things that don’t belong in the environment. Helium balloons are great, so festive, but please don’t release them into the air. I was relieved to get to one with a long tail of yellow ribbon curled on the ground before a bird or animal got caught up in it.
I found a few other pieces of trash that weren’t as dangerous, and it felt good disposing of them properly.
I think picking up sticks is a great activity to keep in shape and plan to continue this useful pastime. But if my new exercise routine doesn’t exactly do the job, I have rejoiced in the latest fashion news story. Skinny jeans for women and men are falling out of style. After living more than a year with the pandemic, people are demanding looser fitting pants.
It is good to know you are not alone. To the car. I need some new jeans.