Exercise was naturally built in to life on the farm a few decades ago. Structured activities for the sake of health were unheard of and unnecessary.

We walked everywhere. There were no pickups or ATV's on which to ride to the back field when we needed to count the cattle, check on a fence line or size up the crops' growth. Catching a mule to bridle or saddling a horse was more trouble than it was worth, so we just walked.

Pitching hay activated the arms and built our upper body strength whether or not that was our desired goal. We girls displayed our arm muscles that we developed over the summer in a matter-of-fact way.

Pegging tobacco in the mud was back breaking. We thought that we could not possibly bend over one more time, but we managed to keep on keeping on to the end of the row where we stretched out on the ground briefly before another round trip. When we had back pain, we had no trouble knowing the explanation for it.

Following in the furrow behind a double shovel plow was bound to have activated every muscle in the body. Talk about multitasking! I can see my father now trying to keep his balance as he stumbled over big clods dug up by the plow points. He gripped the handles of the plow to guide it as the mule pulled it through the soil. He had to let go of the handles periodically and yank the rope plow line that he looped around his neck either gee or haw to keep the mule from getting too close to the growing tobacco plants.

Chopping, digging, sawing, or whatever work that was to be done was with manpower, not electric or gasoline power.

There is concern today about children's not having enough outside activity, so games are planned. We played ball games to rest from the harder exercise that we got from work.

Skinning the cat on a tree limb, racing around the smokehouse when playing anty over and swinging on grapevines were not sedentary entertainment.

Was our generation better off? Lot to consider; not for me to say. For sure, we didn't have to plan activities in order to get our exercise.