We must have been much smaller then...

Yesterday, Darcy and I went to Shaker Village for Christmas at Canterbury. It was a very charming event. The pathways between antique buildings were lit with hundreds of luminaries, and the light dusting of snow on the ground gave it that holiday feel.

We attended a play, talking about the history of the Shakers, as well as the history of their Christmas traditions, a 1900's magic show, while sipping hot cider, we saw fiddlers play while families danced in one of the buildings, we toured a most impressive gingerbread showcase, saw how the shakers made their own brooms, visited the sugar house and sampled a gingerbread candy, toured their original kitchen and pantry and saw the dining rooms decorated in a traditional Shaker Christmas manner, and we also toured a building with the traditional furniture that they crafted.

I couldn't believe how small the chairs were. The adult chairs looked like chairs that would be made for children today. The picture above doesn't even capture it fully. I know we get bigger and bigger as the years go by, but this is quite a significant change to happen in the past 200 years. I would guess that the average adult today (in the US) would crush one of the Shaker chairs! :)

I read a menu of their average day of food. They would have potatoes and fish for breakfast with butter gravy, the mid day meal (dinner) consists of meats, vegetables, fruits, bread and dessert, and supper was often a meat hash with potatoes, bread and vegetables, washed down with a heaping serving of buttery apple pie.

I can't imagine how many calories they must have consumed every day, but from all the pictures I saw, they were very thin! They worked hard all day, and they burned every calorie they consumed. It's an unfortunate state of our society today when we have to eat next to nothing not to gain weight because we are so sedentary. Our lives revolve around sitting or laying down for often 22 hours/day or more. We sleep for 7-8 hrs/night, we commute for 1.5 - 2 hrs/day, we sit in meetings or at our desks for 8+ hrs each day, and when we get home, we sit in front of the tv or in a recliner to read. It's no wonder we have to go to gyms to get on hamster wheels to try to burn off a few of the measly calories we have consumed.

I wish my life was more inherently active. I used to paint houses one summer, and I loved it. It was great to be active. I would love to have a job that was physical labor, that could also pay my bills. Unfortunately, my bills are quite high, so I haven't found that match quite yet.

The Shakers believed that hard work was good for the soul, and I agree with that sentiment, although I don't know it personally. :) I work very hard at my job, but it's just not the same as hard physical labor that helps provide for sustenance.

*****
I didn't exercise as much as planned these past few days. Friday I worked all day, and then I had homework that I worked on until 11. Yesterday was the only day I got any exercise in, and it was a stretch because it was in the form of house cleaning. I decided to count it though, because I purposely kept an aerobic pace, and I cleaned for three hours.

I'm trying to stay between 1000-1200 calories per day. I did that Friday and Sunday, but Saturday we ate out each meal, and I went quite a bit over. Still, it was less than the average recommended daily intake of 2,000 calories, so it's not like I ate the farm...I just didn't make the best choices.

Friday:
1199 calories
29.8 g fat
13.3 g fiber
108 g protein

Saturday:
1574 calories
78.2 g fat (yikes)
14.7 g fiber
53.1 g protein

Sunday:
999 calories
44.7 g fat
9.8 g fiber
77.5 g protein

My weight is the same.