Or Some Ways To Live Better No Cost
AS YOU SAY I'm not young but I keep in pretty good shape for someone my age. I'm thinking of writing a book "How To Become Scrawny But Wiry And Stay That Way During The Pandemic Years." I'm writing this out of the assumption that another lock-down is on its way or might soon be. I actually lost weight during the lock-down.
Getting in shape and staying there is one of those things that anyone can do for free or even at cost savings. Reduce your food to the minimum daily number of calories and nutritional requirements, or to the number of calories to maintain the weight you should be and to do exercises every day. Don't order in fast food, don't eat high calorie crap. Don't drink empty calories in fruit juice, fizzy drinks or alcohol. Having a body that doesn't hurt, being free of chronic pain is such a free luxury that poor people should be encouraged to do it. I can't think of many things that would improve someone's life that is so much in their own control, requiring no one's permission or payment. Believe me, as you get older having a pain-free morning is worth all the store-bought luxury in the world. Not having an addiction, not smoking or drinking or taking drugs is a free luxury, too. I'm working on getting past my hard core coffee addiction, I'm down to drinking tea, which I hate and which I think will be easier to cut out than coffee. Even rot-gut store brand instant was too much of a pleasure to give it up directly. I really hate tea but am not free of caffeine yet.
Reading instead of watching TV or screen can cost nothing or next to nothing, especially if you don't care about reading the newest best sellers or current books. Writing is another free entertainment, especially if you only do it to please yourself and don't intend to try to impress other people.
When I was able to teach I used to tell my music students to write the music they wanted to instead of writing the way the theory textbooks said was the right way. That they were the only ones who could write their music, that they should let other people write the music they wanted written another way. Of course, as a training exercise, I'd always encourage them to do traditional counterpoint and harmony exercises. If they liked what they produced according to the rules, good, if they didn't then it was just an exercise, it wasn't their music which they should have written in addition to their exercises.
Just some ideas on how to get through the next shut-down, if it comes. And even if one doesn't come, you might like to try it, too. I'd suggest being careful about what exercises you choose, a lot of the traditional ones are apt to cause pain and injury. While most of the advice I've seen online is absolute crap, I always look to see if the long experienced physical therapists Bob and Brad have anything to say about that. I use some of their lighter exercise programs for old people and have found that their advice seems to be spot on. These sitting exercises are a good place to start. I haven't bought any of the products they promote. I'm not against them selling things, I kind of like it when it's the video maker who does the online promotion and takes direct responsibility for what they're doing. Sometimes they're good enough to make the commercial amusing and sly. I've become very skeptical about alleged not-for-profit media, they seem to whore out a lot faster. I listened to some NPR yesterday. Big mistake.
Your assumption that my life is joyless and dreary is a product of your imagination. I'm actually quite a happy person in my personal life. I don't want any more stuff in it, that never made me happy. It's a burden.
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