Another cold, dark night found the grumpy old man standing before the cold wood stove. Winter winds blew harder than ever. The snow whipped into a frenzy and snuck beneath the crack in the kitchen door.

But there he stood, that stubborn, grumpy old man. “Give me some heat,” he cried out to the old wood stove. “Give me some dang heat already!”

Just as it did the night before, and the night before that, the old wood stove calmly replied, “I’ll be happy to give you some heat old man. Just as soon as you give me some wood.”

While you may wonder what all this stove business has to do with increased energy and stamina, let me refer you first to a verse that many a religious may know, “Give and you shall receive.”

As with so many things in life, we must first be willing to give before we get.

We must invest 12 years in schooling before we can graduate. We must give our labor to the job before we get paid. We must practice our sports or music, or art before we get good.

And the old man must supply the stove with fuel before he can get fire and heat.

So it is with energy.

Our bodies were not designed like a solar battery to soak up power for later use. We are designed more like the water wheel at an old saw mill. We must first get to moving before we can provide a suitable energy for work.

Action begets energy. While it may seem contrary, inactivity saps our energy while activity provides a boost.

Hospitals know this. It used to be that bed rest was advised for most patient. Now, you go in for a surgery and no sooner do you wake up than they want you to get moving.

“Up and out of that bed!” they medical professionals command.

Our bodies were meant to move.

But it’s so hard when we feel tired. Moving is often the last thing that we want to do. Our bodies resist and we roll over on the couch for just a few more minutes. One more smack on the old snooze button

What we need is a catalyst for action. A powerful reason to get moving. We need some pleasurable or fun activity to spur us on. Fortunately our brain is easily capable of conjuring up just such a thing.

“How about an adventure?” it says. “A treasure hunt.”

Once we tempt our brain with a fun activity it is so much easier to get our body in motion.

My old dog, Dusty, would bolt up from a sound sleep at just the mention of going for a ride in the car.

So it is with humans. With a bold enough reason why we can spring into action too.

Photography, the hunt for photos cool and unique, is the perfect motivator. Especially if you set a goal to share a weekly or daily photo online. Or submit photos to regular daily or weekly photo contests.

So grab up your camera and  head out for a walk in your favorite part of town. Go in search of all things grand and unique. Bring back some digital photos as your treasure.

Once you get moving, you’ll find all the energy you need. Regular activity will give you energy like a stone wheel rolling down hill. You’ll become a regular dynamo and wonder why you didn’t get moving sooner.

Let each new day become an adventure, a treasure hunt.

Don’t be the grumpy old man who demands something for nothing. Action comes before energy. You can even look in the dictionary if you don’t believe me.

Let your digital camera get you moving. Let it be your reason to head out, to explore places unknown. There’s a whole big world out there waiting for you. Capture it and share it with friends. Let your digital camera be the battery that powers your exploration.

That’s the right way. Let photography motivate you into action.

Once you do, you’ll find a never ending source of energy that will power you well into your senior years.

See how Marcia let photography bring her back to life after a surgery that went horribly wrong. Click here to access her story in the Photo Health Manifesto.