I went to Monticello last weekend (a place I’ve always wanted to get to, especially since the HBO John Adams film came out). Our docent was wonderful and I asked about Jefferson’s exercise habits.
She said he was really into balance and that after studying for about 8 hours (he usually studied about 15 hours total per day) he would go for about a mile run. I’m not sure that is super balanced–eight hours of studying to 10 minutes of running, but it is still pretty cool. He also rode his horse a lot. Now what I’m most impressed with is that he ran and I’m intrigued to know what he ran in. Did he go barefoot or was he in a pair of leather and buckle shoes?
She also said that he ate very small portions, mostly vegetables although he did eat meat and loved dessert. You can see he was a man of small portions in the image above, which reflects his actual size.
I, for one, am intrigued to know more.
