There is a way to increase muscle size — known as ‘bodybuilding’ to the uninitiated — by carrying out normal activities around the house, though many people might not believe it possible. That’s because they lack focus, which is why the Zen of bodybuilding through simple house jobs is so underappreciated. Thinking about making bigger muscles while sweeping, for instance, could actually work.
Even though we might think that it is highly unlikely to gain fitness from doing housework, think back to that old movie ‘The Karate Kid.’ Remember that Mr. Miyagi put young Daniel through his paces by making him paint fences and wax cars, for one. And though this sort of activity isn’t really needed, maybe grabbing a 10 gallon wet dry vacuum and focusing on pushing it around can be Zen and fitness at the same time.
Sure, some of this sounds a little spacey or ‘out there, ‘ but the truth of the matter is that the mind can accommodate to any circumstance and the body will follow right along when the mind commands it. This is true in gyms and it is true at home, so it really doesn’t matter where meditating and practicing serene calmness (as Zen masters might say) is done and at what times.
For example, maybe one has cleaned out the garage and pulled out one or two of the garden blowers that had been gathering dust over on some shelf. Taking one in each hand and then extending the arms outward or all the way forward and holding the blowers out there while walking slowly through the garden and meditating on all the natural beauty around can be an excellent fitness activity.
The point in all of this is to illustrate that there are so many ways that a person can work on fitness without actually working on fitness that is amazing in a kind of metaphysical way. Whether it has to do with bodybuilding or becoming a perfect tai chi Zen enthusiast, there are a myriad of activities in and around the house that can offer medication and fitness training all at once.
This can be useful even for an 80-year-old great-grandmother who can do nothing more than sit in a rocker and maybe do a little needlework. Fitness can be cultivated even in her case while she is doing something like needlepoint or sewing as long as she focuses on the beauty of the moment and clears her mind. The body will bring forth energy that she will certainly come to appreciate, for sure.
So, the next time somebody mentions Zen it’s now possible to understand how it can be applied in many different ways to get through the day doing housework or odd jobs around the house while also asking the body to pitch in and help out, sometimes to the point where actual and definable fitness can result. In the end, what’s not to like about such an activity?
