Getting some much-needed exercise (1/17/05)

How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions this year? Did you vow to exercise more? If so, the weather has been helping you achieve this goal. Finding the kerosene heater, cleaning off years of dust and spending time getting the contraption lit and keeping it going counts as exercise. Running back and forth babysitting a generator also counts.

If you are fortunate enough to have some form of wood stove then cutting, splitting and hauling the logs might get you as warm as actually standing in front of a fire. And jumping when you unearth the snake that took up residence in the woodpile for the winter is sure to get the heart rate going faster for both you and the snake.

I admit it is difficult to do formal exercise such as jumping jacks when you are wearing at least half of all the clothing you own. Therefore you need to rely on more informal types of exertion. Dragging hundreds of downed branches to the curb could be considered a form of weight lifting. Who knew that tree limbs could be so heavy? I think we will be cleaning up debris well into the spring as more weakened branches drop when the wind kicks up.

If you were one of those without water, hauling enough of the essential liquid to carry on daily activities is another way to work with weights as it is about 8.34 pounds per gallon. Cleaning up the mess you made when you tripped over the cat adds to the caloric expenditure.

Replacing siding that was torn off or blew off in the storm requires a few toe touches to pick up the hammer you just dropped and some stretching to snap the siding in place. Going up and down a ladder to make needed repairs is much more effective than a stair stepper could ever be.

All this activity is a good start on another common resolution. How often have you tried to lose weight and given up because it was too difficult? Not this year. You have a good beginning with all the added exercise you have been doing while dealing with the effects of the ice storm. Plus you haven’t had the opportunity to overeat. It is impossible to bake cookies or cakes using only a candle or a kerosene heater.

I don’t know about you but when I’m chilled to the bone the last thing I want is cold food. I don’t think I opened the refrigerator once while the power was off. I’d rather not eat at all. With all the downed utility lines it wasn’t safe to go out for a meal, assuming you could find a restaurant that was open. Then when the electricity finally came back on I was left with the task of cleaning out the refrigerator and throwing everything out so I still couldn’t bake anything.

The supermarket shelves remained a little bare when we went to the store several days after our power was restored. Even so, the bill for restocking our supplies was more than we usually spend on groceries. I am so glad we could afford it. I feel sorry for the people who live paycheck to paycheck and wonder how they will recover from this.

Another common resolution is to spend more time with your loved ones. Having your extended family gather at the home of whoever still has heat and water allows you more togetherness than you ever wanted. At first it is fun but as the newness wears off people start to get on each other’s nerves. We get so used to not talking to each other and anesthetizing ourselves with television or computers that we forget the art of conversation.

This winter storm is over for now and in spite of all the hardships we are very fortunate. I have been watching the newspapers and one story is conspicuously missing. I have yet to read about the rising death toll from the storm. We seem to have weathered this with much grumbling, a little grace and a lot of helpfulness but few, if any, deaths from the disaster. For that, we are very grateful.

Plus we have a head start on keeping our New Year’s resolutions.

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