Exercise for Free

"I need to exercise more!" What? The human body was meant to move! Stand up, walk, run, step up, step down, jump, lift, twist, bend and stretch. Believe it or not, your body was made to do all those things. If you don't use it for those purposes, you're cheating yourself and your body out of good health!

An automobile engine that's never started can "freeze" - that means the oil has drained and no longer lubricates moving parts so that when you try to start it, they "seize" and refuse to move - the engine can't run, because the parts are frozen to each other. Our bodies are much the same way. If we never move or move them too little, they begin to freeze up from a lack of lubrication. Moving our muscles keeps them supple and strong, moving our joints keeps them lubricated and protected.

Very few people in our sedimentary world get as much exercise as our bodies were made for, so most of us need to make an effort to keep in operating order. Now, because our world is not only sedimentary, it's materialistic and consumerist, the first thing that pops into our heads when contemplating exercise is "Equipment."

Equipment? Like stationary bicycles, treadmills, weights? Yes... and like spandex and water bottles and terry cloth head bands!

NOT!

There's no reason to BUY things to allow your body to do what it does naturally. That doesn't even make sense.

Instead of buying a treadmill and forcing yourself to a boring 30 minute session, why not go for a real (free) walk? Outside, even? Walk briskly, or, if you're tired, stroll. It will do you good, both mentally and physically. More of the battle is mental than we usually recognize (or admit), so a real walk is a lot more beneficial than staring at the TV while repeating step after step after step after step... and not going anywhere, not even in your imagination. Go somewhere. Let your legs and feet take you on a journey in the most basic and frugal of all transportation methods. You might need good shoes, but other than that, wear whatever clothes you already have. Total cost? You figure it, but it looks free to me.

Stationary bicycles! What an oxymoron! A bicycle is, by nature, a method of transportation, so you're going to transport yourself into a netherworld if you use a bicycle with nowhere to go. Ok, maybe not that extreme, but what is the point? So you can watch the evening news while stressing your body at the same time as you stress your mind? A real bicycle costs about the same, and it has an added bonus: You can go places on it! And you can get fresh air, sunshine... you know, all those things your mother used to tell you that you needed.

As to the spandex and the plastic water bottles and the other trappings of exercise, what for? It's ok to use them if you really need them, but if you really do need them, your circumstances will tell you - not the exercise gurus or the exercise books or the exercise programs. They don't know what you need nearly as well as you do.

Exercise should be a free byproduct of every day living. Gardening, yard work, house work, repairs and maintenance provide natural exercise. It's not frugal or necessary or even sensible to hire someone else to do work around the house or yard, then go to a "health club" to exercise!

Learn to do your own repairs and maintenance. Wash your own windows, mow your own lawn, shovel your own snow. Learn maintenance for your vehicle, paint the kitchen yourself... when you do things (aka "work"), you get exercise - just the way your body was meant to. Amazing, isn't it?