Sustainable Lifestyle Engineering: Rethinking Fitness

Hello fellow Steemians. Today's post in my ongoing series on #sustainability is about fitness, and if you've read any of my previous posts, you know it isn't going to be the same old story. By thinking sustainability first, an approach to fitness requires an out-of-the-box approach, since the goal is to develop an ongoing, self-perpetuating habit of moving on a regular basis.

Before I get started, here is a convenient list of the previous posts in this series.

Sustainable Lifestyle Engineering; an Introduction

Sustainable Lifestyle Engineering; a more detailed overview

Reading, Running, Writing; Stumbling into a Sustainable Groove

Rethinking fitness from a perspective of sustainability is all about creating a new way of thinking about the long term potential we have to be happy and healthy, while being grounded in who we are as a species, and how we are designed to be in the world.

I am going to post this as a three-part series with the following sub-topics:

1. Create a Context for Consistent, Daily Motion
2. Dress for Success
3. Think Out of the Box

Create a Context for Consistent, Daily Motion

As humans we are designed for near constant motion. We need not travel far back in time to imagine how much motion was required for basic survival. From this simple idea, as much of an accomplishment as it may be to develop a routine of going to the gym three or four times a week for a couple of hours may be, it is a drop in the bucket of how much physical activity is likely ideal.

The first time I seriously thought about this was while my wife and I were working on a major home renovation. We (mostly I) removed the roof of our small Cape Cod house and then, with the help of many different people, rebuilt the second floor to make a true two story home, with an additional bedroom and bathroom. (We were totally in love with our neighborhood and neighbors, and knew we diodn't want to move for a long time, so building up was our best option). Not only did slinging a tool belt for 8 weeks effect my own sense of fitness, but I also observed several professional contractors over that time, and I was amazed at how they moved. Some of them looked to be in peak condition, and others not so much, but I learned this is mostly superficial, and one guy really stands out on my memory. He was definitely over his ideal weight, and I guessed he liked beer as much as I do, but he moved up and own ladders non-stop all day long with barely a break.

Before we began that project, I had been competing regularly in masters track and field. I am a sprinter by trade, and at the age of 42 I was doing regular intense track workouts, and felt like I was in the best shape of my life. At the national championships that year I ran the 400 meters in 55.7 seconds, and clocked a split of 55.2 at the Penn Relays as a member of my track club's 4x400 relay. All that made me quite proud of my physical condition, and then we started tearing our house apart. What a rude awakening!

So, I am not about to say everyone needs to become a roofer, but the story gives some background on how I have come to look at fitness differently, especially as I age.

Let's face it, most approaches to fitness are simply no sustainable. Humans have the best intentions, and we make all sorts of great plans to get in shape, stay in shape, slim down, bulk up, whatever. But eventually most people simply stop, or at least go through a roller coaster of hitting the goals off and on, and probably often feeling down about themselves during the off periods.

Creating a new context for motion means rethinking how we move throughout the day, mainly as we meet the various obligations we have to sustain our jobs and households. To get started, I suggest writing down all of the physical activities you engage in during a typical week, from going grocery shopping, to walking up a flight of stairs at work. Once you have that list, consider what you might be able to easily add to it.

I live on a block where a surprising number of people order their groceries online and have them delivered. I would never judge anyone for taking advantage of such a service, I understand time is money, and if someone earns enough income to enjoy services it is their right. However, I also hear those same neighbors complain about their weight and need for more exercise. If you look at your list and it seems too light, consider adding things back to your routine like going grocery shopping. Also consider adding things like walking to the post office instead of driving. One of the biggest shifts you can make in your daily movement is to use your own feet more often as a form of transportation.

The biggest obstacle, in my own experience, to walking more often, is the mental habit of always being in a rush and thinking three isn't enough time in the day. If that touches a nerve in you, I seriously recommend starting from scratch and asking yourself, is fitness a priority? As I wrote in my previous posts, physical health and time to cultivate good close relationships are a major key to happiness and sustainable living.

After looking more closely at your motion inventory, and adding some activities to your daily or weekly routines, consider a bigger commitment -- what type of additional work could you add that would require you to be on your feet, and even possibly exercising, on a regular basis? For example, would you like to volunteer with a local group that meets in various parks to do cleanups? Or could you get a part time job as a guide at a museum? I think most, if not all of us, can manage to add some volunteer work, and if you are open to that, why not choose something that involves movement?

My wife and I both coach cross country and track and field. Without getting into the history of that, I will just say that as part time jobs, they definitely keep us moving. It even sets up the near daily possibility of jumping in with the kids and doing workouts with them. It may sound crazy to suddenly start a coaching career, but I had no idea I would ever be a coach ten years ago. It fell into my lap, as the school where my wife is a guidance counselor needs a coach at the last minute. I ended up really enjoying it, made some adjustments to my life to make it work, and eight years later I coach during all three seasons of the high school athletic calendar. When the head girls cross country coach job opened at my wife's school, she didn't consider it until I urged her. Four years later she is loving coaching as well, but as with all jobs, there are tough times, but we both always come back to the way our coaching supports the healthy lifestyle we want to sustain.

Here's a photo of Maggie talking to her girls after they were the first girls cross country team at their school to every qualify for states. You can see the joy on the faces of her girls, and to have that kind of connection to the kids we coach is partly what keeps this part of our fitness sustainable.

It does seem undeniable that there is a correlation between wealth and fitness. On one hand, disposable income allows people to use more services and do less physically demanding tasks themselves, like housecleaning. But on the other hand, I also see a certain segment of wealthy people who seem to take advantage of the free time their wealth creates. The difference maker seems to be what we choose to do for fun and recreation. If you choose to spend a free weekend afternoon walking in a park, or watching football on tv, it adds up over time. Having children really helped me in this regard, because even if I might have been more lazy at times when I was single, it is a huge priority for me to make sure my kids are healthy, and more important, simply appreciate the outdoors. So we spend as much time as possible hiking, canoeing, riding bikes, etc. Perhaps the best part of that, thinking longer term, is that when we are hiking in the woods we are not spending any money, and when we conserve our financial resources we end up having to work less and can enjoy more hiking!

I know all of this may have a tone of "its so easy," and that it also implies a certain amount of privilege. But as much as my family might look like a wealthy, middle class suburban family, we live very simply on a modest income, and that ends up having the appearance of wealth. We also have worked very hard to be able to do the work we do, but more important, we have made many, sometimes tough, choices about how to allocate our resources. But what has worked for us over an over is when those decisions are made with sustainability at the forefront.

Thanks for reading. My next post will be Dress For Success, and will focus on how what we choose to wear has subtle but important impact on how we move.