I’ve written in the past on the benefits of doing nothing.

And staycations are not necessarily the best modes of time off to be doing nothing. Especially if you live in a multi-person household.

So, I have realized there is a certain amount of work that an individual can be expected to perform while on a staycation.

Sometimes there are projects half-started from a previous period. Other times it’s a beautification endeavor that can happen during spring (not talking about head shaving, either). And yet other times, it’s not yard work or housework but works you do on yourself (other than shaving your head).

The work you do on yourself can be physical and/or mental. In my case, my recent staycation has been a compilation of self-work, work in the yard, work around the house and the acquisition of a refreshed mindset so that I might power through the latter half of the year in the best fashion possible.

A lot of us sit at work. It has a cumulative, bad effect on our health over time.

If we are overweight, sitting can add to the problem.

Staycations, where you do more than nothing are almost imperative in order to feel fresh coming off of them.

Workers who use standing desks where they can stand and sit have made an improvement over just sitting all the time while they work. What’s even better than combining standing and sitting on the job is taking frequent breaks to walk, climb stairs and exercise.

Some of us think we can stay disciplined enough to regularly work out either before or after work. As we age, excuses for not working out regularly can come more easily.

My staycation included taking advantage of a trial offer at a new gym.

This was really a big change of pace for me as I’ve never been a gym rat. When living in Colorado I had the benefit of a running path around a lake on clay dirt that featured steel gym workout stations. You could run and work out doing dips, pull-ups, pushups and any number of upper and lower body exercises.

The weather in Colorado was such that I was able to work out regularly year round. I only exercised indoors in my home if there was a blizzard (which wasn’t very often).

Realizing that my running on the pavement here in Kentucky combined with the marginal amount of strength work I did on my own was leading me to decline physically was no small epiphany.

I had to change up my routine. With encouragement from my significant other, I took the plunge and am now very sore but mostly intact.

I got the runner’s high indoors and without doing any running. In the process, I also came to know just how much I needed to get back in terms of my fitness levels.

Age is a convenient excuse for slowing down and/or not doing as much as we did in our younger years. It needn’t be a drawn-out precursor to our departure.

The pressure to remain vibrant and in shape is greater than ever. But, it is actually easier than ever to stay in good health by virtue of the many fitness approaches and options available to us all.

We sit all the time and only a small number of us can say we have jobs that preclude the need for regular exercise.

I’m determined to stay with my new fitness program.

If you’re looking for an edge of some kind you should look no further than investing in your physical self; you don’t necessarily need a staycation, though, to decide this is a good idea.

As the immortal philosopher, Billy Crystal said, “It’s better to look good than to feel good.”

I would only add that it’s not as difficult as you’d think to have both.