Health is a very important part of life.
This is chapter 9 on my current series on why we homestead. This is just my personal thoughts on these subjects, and is shared to provide further insight into why we have chosen to live the life that we do, and possibly to even inspire others.
CHAPTER 9 - HEALTH
The days where people enjoy being out in the sunshine existing in an organic, natural environment are basically a thing of the past for many. They are nothing more than a nostalgic memory of yesteryear that was wisely left behind as we’ve been making “progress.” Yeah, progress, huh?
Unfortunately, our bodies are “products of our environment” too, to a certain level. The things that we are exposed to often end up inside of bodies, and all of that has an effect on our health, whether negative or positive. There are both good and bad bacteria out there, and many of the naturally occurring things we find in the wild are not really present, at least on the same level, inside massive cities. Even building a functioning immune system is affected by our environment, and I’ve encountered studies where “country children” had much better immune systems than “city children.”
I think that the “connected life” I’ve previously talked about combined with the “trustworthy food supply” that homesteaders are often passionate about providing for themselves are able to work wonders on the overall health of an individual. Simply put, we get one body, and it’s done, it’s over for us. There are many things that can encourage that body to prematurely expire, and I’d rather avoid them.
Moreover, there is a certain amount of effort that must be put into the life of a homesteader. Exercise is important, and if your life requires a certain amount of physical labor and walking around, that necessary exercise can be a lot easier to fit into your day, even without the monthly gym membership fee. I’ve experienced a lot of this firsthand, and last summer I may have even been in the best shape of my adult life, simply by how much effort I was putting into building our homestead.
Years ago, when I was working six or seven days a week in a warehouse, my primary tasks were split between operating a forklift and doing computer work. Basically, I spent a lot of my day sitting down and barely wiggling my arms or legs. It was at that point in my life when I began to pack on extra pounds that we not muscle. I think it’s somewhat sad to consider how many people work jobs that require very little of them physically and then take a portion of their earnings to pay a gym membership so that they can get some real physical exercise in during their precious waking hours. Thankfully, I’ve got enough to do that I don’t think I’ll ever actually consider having a gym membership.
When consider the contrast of the dark and dusty warehouse to being outside in the fresh air, breeze, and sunshine, it gives me plenty more to think about. Rather than dealing with empty chemical barrels, I can dig into the soil. Rather than inhaling all sorts of dust, I can breathe in tiny particles of pollen and other natural things. Instead of being exposed to whatever manmade version of light lit the warehouse or office, I can soak up some rays from the sun. Yes, a lot has changed, and my health has too. Ultimately, I believe that I now exist in a healthier environment.
While not everyone wants to open the “can of worms” that researching the role that our water supply plays in our overall health, I will at least make mention that I highly prefer drinking well water out in the country to drinking water from the city. I’ll opt for mineral-rich well water over chemically treated water from a possibly polluted source any day. I’m not saying that water from a well can’t have issues, I’m just making mention that after some of my research, there’s reasons that we prefer well water. You can look into the possible negative effects of city water for yourself, and I recommend that you at least take a peek and consider it.
I think that various emotional health and relational health aspects can also be improved by living the lifestyle that we now choose to, but the physical health of our mortal bodies is definitely a reason that we have chosen to transition to our current homesteading lifestyle. I could elaborate more on this subject, but, I think that when coupled with other chapters in this volume, enough of an overall picture gets painted on this subject.
To close, I’ll add a real life story of someone that I knew as some encouragement and food for thought. I knew a man who retired from his job, and after retirement, he mostly liked listening to music, playing solitaire, and watching television. This was all done from the comfort of his desk, which was in the living room. He’d walk to his desk in the morning, and periodically take a bathroom break, but other than that, he didn’t really spend much time doing anything other than sitting or sleeping. His legs were the first things to go. Soon, he began having a lot of health issues with his legs, which lead to other problems. Basically, it was a case of “if you don’t use it, you lose it,” and it cost this man dearly. I think that we need to appreciate what we’ve got, and remember to keep exercising everything, including our brains.
Until next time…
STEEMIT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!
