I was never in so great shape as when I worked as a dishwasher. Bike to work (8 miles, rain / shine / snow), work damned hard, close and clean up the restaurant, bike home. Of course, I was making like 50X less than I do now.

I was happy to have that job, but even happier to leave it for something that involved keyboards and air-conditioned machine rooms instead of scalding hot water and smelling like a dishrag during my "leisure time" (which was more like recuperation, actually).

I don't mind physical work, and I've done my share, but I'd rather not do much more of it. My dad grew up on a small farm in the northwest US, and that was work; he's paying for it now, in his old age.