Brrrrrrr!
Edvard and Nadejda Schmals are in their mid-50s and are exceedingly fit and healthy. They claim to never be ill and attribute this fortune to their lifestyle. You can't avoid being physically fit when you have to haul all the water you use in buckets from the well, and chop the wood you use for heat, cooking and bathing.
There's an enormous stove in the center of the Schmals' kitchen, which is in the center of their house. It's made of brick and stone and covered in mortar and plaster, and it provides all the heat for their house. Stoking this stove is a task that never ends.
Every morning, 365 days a year, Edvard and Nadejda put on their bathing suits and walk the few yards from their house to the river. There they submerge themselves, in winter breaking the ice to do so. They call this the secet to their health.
Four years ago, W&J professor John Mark Scott and I were staying with the Schmals, and they invited us to join them for their morning dip. Much to their amusement, Scott yelped his way into the pool, managing to get in waist-deep before retreating. I could get in no farther than to my knees; my bones ached too badly from the icy water. Later, we put a thermometer in the water and found that it was 42 degrees F.
Unlike most Russians, the Schmals do not smoke. They enjoy beer and the occasional vodka but drink in moderation. Their diet is probably high in fat (whole milk, vream and butter from their cow) and carbohydrates but provides them with the fuel they need for their rigorous routine of living. Their garden is not a hobby but a necessity and nurtured accordingly.
