
When I was an twelve years old, in 1959, I was big for my age. My mother bought me clothes that had ” Husky” on the label. I felt very self-conscious and wished I could be skinny, fit, and muscular like the Charles Atlas ads I saw in the back of every comic book. Once, I cut out the ad filled, in my name and information, and sent it in. In a couple of weeks, I got an envelop with a set of mimeographed pages illustrating a set of exercised to do. I soon lost interest in that effort.
When I tuned thirteen, my parents had the insight to send me to work summers on my uncle’s dairy farm. Daily labor pitching haybales worked much better for becoming fit. I loved the farm, and worked there five summers. By the time I graduated high school, I was slim, trim and muscular. Now I am back to Husky plus!
Atlas course goes bust
Baling hay builds strong muscles
Summers on the farm
Dwight, Love this post! The ad, your write-up, and the poem work perfectly together. ❤ Take care, Cheryl
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Thank you Cheryl. Not sure what conjured this one up, but it is an interesting memory of my childhood!
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What a fun post! I loved it!!
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Thank you, Liz… took me all the way back!
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🙂
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I’m sure baling hay has turned many a teenager into fit a young man.
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Yes it has! Great exercise!!
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When I was a child there were magazines on superheroes which had advertisement pages like those, on a product called bullworker. I begged till my parent bought me one, and after one month stopped using it out of boredom. Those contraptions don’t work at all. You are so right, there is nothing like incorporating hard work into day to day life for fitness.
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Bullworker sounds like a heavy duty workout! I still do not like to exercise at a gym, but love to work hard in the yard or garden! Thanks for sharing you interesting story!
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I remember those Atlas ads! They sent a whole generation of boys to the gym to work out!
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Ha Ha! For a short while at least!!
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Great poem. Great write up and pic too
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Thank you. It was a great trip down memory lane!
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You are most welcome
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So well done, Dwight. I was 17, 6’3″ and. I thought, too skinny, and wanted to look like Charles Atlas, too. 🙂
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Ha Ha! Just look at us now!! I saw there was an address on the ad for the UK.
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Fun post!
Farm work = hard work, but good for the body, heart, mind and soul! 😉
HUGS!!! 🙂
PS…my grandparents and my parents were farmers. 🙂
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Yes it is the best thing for young people growing up. I am 73 and do not take any perscription meds on a regular basis!
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I remember hay bales, and I could do with losing a few kilos. 🙂
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Great memories… and me too! … maybe even fifty or more!
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Same 🙂
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Maybe thats why i hate gyms
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Ha Ha… me too!
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