I am trying something new, which is minimizing the amount of time that I am sitting. As I write, I am standing next to the bookcase, the computer is on top of it. It is 11:34 pm. Amazingly, I don’t feel as tired as I thought I would after one full day of doing this. My arms and shoulders feel lighter maybe because I am not bent as far forward as I am when I sit at my desk. I also am feeling a bit more clear headed.

The idea to do this came to me last night, after watching a video by Katy Bowman, the author of Move your DNA. Katy asserts that we were not meant to be sedentary creatures, but this is what we have become. For instance, we spend far

more time sitting than is good for us. Sure, we engage in vigorous exercise for an hour a day – but what is more important is that we keep moving.

So I began my day by working at my bookcase desk. I then went out and tended to animals. I also assisted Pete in unloading hay. After, we came in for lunch. Rather than sit down, I remained standing. Later in the day we went to Alaska Home Companion where Pete worked the lights and I was an assistant stage manager. Nice title, but I did absolutely nothing but – stand there. By my estimates I would have been sitting down for three hours.

When I began to tire, I alternated doing some exercises and walking around. The tired feeling was my body’s way of saying that I was over using some muscle groups. It will be interesting tonight, to see if I sleep better than usual.

As the day progressed, I did think some about our lifestyle. We actually are on the move more than most. We use the outhouse, which requires a short trek up and down the hill. We go outside to turn on the generator. And of course tending to the animals is an ongoing thing. I can’t imagine what life would be without them in this respect. I would undoubtedly be more sedentary. I developed an interest in this subject that was originally horse-related, that is Centered Riding. This would not have happened if I didn’t have horses. Funny how these things happen.

There was a video of Katy Bowman’s place – she took it. Pretty funny, a home movie. But I was struck by the fact that her place looked like ours; in particular her living room was also nearly devoid of furniture and full of exercise equipment. She said that having the equipment in sight means you are more apt to use it. I do not spend a lot of time in the living room, but when I do it is actually to do my body awareness work.

I am going to attempt to stand as often as possible for a while and see how it goes. It may be one of those things that I do for a bit, then just naturally give up on. Hard to say.

Next: 285. 10/15/17: Being Brave