November 03, 2009

I have a one-word reason why fitness is important:





IKEA.

Yes, fiends and neighbors, I made a run to IKEA, land of flat-pack furniture, yesterday.

While I was there, I hauled a number of sixty-pound boxes off a number of shelves, along with some twenty-pound boxes and a couple of smaller things, and put all of said poundage into a cart.

Then I hauled it outside to the long-suffering Honda.

Then I hauled it out of the L.S.H and into the house.

And, finally, with the aid of most of a six-pack, a delivery pizza, and plenty of Ramones, I put the IKEA stuff together, took everything save the washer, dryer, and treadmill out of my utility room, painted the utility room, and put everything back in.

All told it took me six hours of steady hard labor. That was six hours of steady hard labor that I wouldn't have been able to do at thirty, and which most people couldn't manage at thirty-nine--and I was able to do it all because I work very hard at being strong and fairly fit.

Think about it like this: working out, especially at things that are *hard*, does two things:

It teaches your body how to respond to hard work that doesn't involve barbells, and

It teaches your brain that even the most horrible misery is temporary.

If you're really serious, you can even train your brain to remember that the results are almost always worth it.

Attila just left. She worked me hard even though I'm still sore from yesterday's renovation adventures. For that reason, this is all the post I'm going to be able to manage. Remember this, though:

Being able to outlift the dudes in the belts at IKEA?

*Totally* a rush.

14 comments:

  1. Pictures! I want to see the outcome! Kudos to you, putting furniture together drives me insane.

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  2. LMAO! I TOTALLY thought the same thing when I assembled my dresser a few months ago! LOL! Great post!

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  3. I love it when I can do a task such as this alone. I put up a huge entertainment center for sale on craigslist once and I moved it from the living room to my hallway because I lived alone and didn't want strangers in my home in the evening if I didn't need too. It took 3 people to load it into a truck, they were amazed I was able to carry it from inside my house outside and I just felt....well strong!

    I have an Atilla, his name is PAT!

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  4. ha! great post, i do have to say that i love when a dude asks me if I need help and i either say, "no thanks," or "HELL NO!"

    i mean. do i look like i need it?

    great job on the great workout!

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  5. It is nice to find out that all that stuff we do to stay strong and fit actually works, isn't it?

    Thanks for the laugh, and the reason to keep working out.

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  6. Real life application to workouts? Good stuff!

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  7. I've never, ever been to an IKEA. I feel like I'm missing a vital element in my fitness regimen.

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  8. It is amazing what we can do if we put our minds to it, isn't it! And yes, being fit & strong allows us the ability to do many things!!!! I think I will invite you over to do the home body stuff! I can't draw a straight line with a ruler! :-)

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  9. When I was three years old my grandfather demonstrated for me (with a balance board and some rocks) that if I could somehow get it up onto my shoulder I could carry two-thirds of my weight without difficulty. I have never ceased to thank him for this. When I walk up to the counter with a fifty pound bag of dog food on one shoulder nobody says "Do you need help with that?"

    Mary Anne in Kentucky

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  10. Word.

    You just supported my argument that every woman needs to do dead lifts! Exact same argument -minus the IKEA.

    Even better was Friday when I lifted 150# -more than many of the guys in the gym lift. AND got nods from the guys around me for doing it.

    Now picking up my 65# arthritic dog and putting her in the car is a breeze...

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  11. It's a bit of a workout just to make your way through one of their stores. You can cover quite a bit of mileage there.

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  12. This is too true! And it is where I want to be! Right now, things like painting a room are a tough task, usually involving more than one day, because climbing ladders is hard on me. Still, I am not totally bad off, I can still haul folding bookcases about at need. But I need to get stronger.

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  13. This was a great post LOL. My husband cusses his way through furniture assembly. Love reading your blogs...

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