My grandfather was a man of his generation.
Born in the early 1900s, he knew how to do more with less. He was certainly from a different time, and a far cry from the common man of today.
Lots of people these days wouldn’t dream of doing their own yard work. They’d much rather just pay a few bucks for a crew of guys to come over for a “mow and blow.”
Even for those who tackle their own yards, they typically want to make it as easy and painless as possible. That means self-propelled mowers and motor-driven trimmers and edgers.
My grandfather was the motor. I can still see him sitting on a paint can in the yard. He would take his old, rusty sugarcane knife and finely manicure the grass that dared grow along his walkway.
It didn’t matter how long it took. It didn’t matter how tiring it was. He made it happen, all by hand with simple tools.
He took great pride in his property. He wasn’t exactly the richest man in town, but he wasn’t ever afraid of hard work.
I remember him climbing trees to cut branches. He would literally hold himself up with one arm and cut the branch with the other.
My grandfather lived to be 92 years old. Even in his twilight years, he was highly mobile. Late in his life, he would make sure to take daily walks up and down the sidewalk.
He never had a weight problem. He was always strong and lean.
The only workout he ever did was when he literally worked, which back then meant doing it with your hands and the sweat on your brow.
He stayed flexible and fit without ever taking some trendy class.
I told you that to tell you this. If you want to get into shape and stay in shape, you don’t have to spend lots of money on fancy gyms.
There are ways to work your body without dropping a dime. Everyone has their very own free gym.
If you have a yard, for example, you can incorporate it into your exercise routine. Instead of letting all of the machines do the work for you, why not try to do more yourself?
Not only will you get a sense of pride and satisfaction out of it, but you’ll also help yourself get into better shape.
