Farm Fitness
Targeted Exercise Tips For Hayseed-Like Robustness
Most of my youth I was somewhat of an athlete. Aside from running from hangry bears and ill-mannered moose, I spent hours training and playing sports of various forms: softball, baseball, track, volleyball, basketball. It really didn't matter; I played hard.
That said, even though I am far from sedentary, I had noticed my fitness level wasn't quite up to my youth standards. Being a somewhat conscious creature, I decided to ratchet up my training regimen. With the nearest gym being miles away, I created a circuit on my farm. Here's today's fitness regimen:
Weeding a raised strawberry bed
Body parts worked: triceps, biceps, shoulders, and upper back
Duration: Repeat three times (I have three beds)
Re-stacking hay (The children stacked the oat hay on my alfalfa grass)
Body parts worked: The whole freaking thing! Every muscle group here. (I'm five foot two and these bales are taller and weigh more than me, so some nice dead-lifting happened.)
Duration: 15 minutes, I moved and re-stacked a ton, 22 bales.
Peeling posts
Body Parts worked: Abs and arms. I used a handled adze to manually peel pine poles. These things are eight feet long, and your arms and abs will be shaking by the time you get through just one of them.
Duration: hours and hours and hours
Driveway run (and sometimes walking)
Body parts worked: all of them, especially the heart and lungs.
Duration: 45 minutes. Endurance building is why I tortured myself with this added bonus.
Now, this regiment is just for my spring fitness routine. Other than shoveling snow and farm chores, winter doesn't allow for this routine at all. I found something far more irritating. Well, to my husband anyway. Everyday but Sunday from January through the end of March I did a ton of Pilates and HIIT training courtesy of Cassey Ho. Who would that be? Why the very vociferous creator of Blogilates. Anyone who can talk that much while torturing their flesh is worth listening too. Plus, my favorite thing in the whole world is to cast my Youtube playlist of her workout videos to the big TV in my room and wake my husband up with the sound of her voice. The groan and sigh that emanates from his waking form as he hears her say, "Hi Guys, Cassey here." really sets the tone for my workout. Nothing like annoying someone to give you the mental fuel needed for exercise completion. Thanks Cassey! (Seriously, this lady will kick the crap out of you, all while smiling and talking about her nails or leggings!)
On the plus side, all of this exercise is paying off. I can run like a 6th grader throughout the entire volleyball practice that I coach a couple times a week. Thanks to Cassey I can contort my body into positions that come in mighty useful when I am trying to maneuver a hay bale into a tight place, and I really think my revamped agility is going to come in handy when I start training my gelding Kula in a few weeks. You know, cause rolling, dodging, and diving might be necessary!
I'd love to see some of my fellow Steemian's applied exercise tips and moves! Throw them at me! Like a medicine ball, or in my case a spool of hotwire or a 50lb bag of hog feed!
And as always, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's music playlist blaring iPhone.
Love this post! Exercise doesn't just have to be in the gym :)
I totally agree and appreciate the comment!!😊
All I can say is WOW, you do a whole lot of stuff around the farm. I used to buck bales, those things are HEAVY. I'm impressed. Ever toss one, and go along with it, since your hand was still under the twine? Yee Haa.
Does sound like you get a load of exercise. Particularly like it when you 'run like a 6th grader'.
Let's see, my exercise on a daily basis...mostly it comes from Dodging Responsibilities, Actively Hiding From the Boss, Climbing Under the Desk To Nap, Shirking Tasks, Squatting Behind The Cooler Again When The Boss Walks By, Running On Empty 35 Minutes After Lunch, Crouching For Long Periods In The Supply Room When Meetings Are Called, Skirting Office Requirements, R-U-N-N-I-N-G-O-F-T Whenever Volunteers Are Asked For, Ducking The Boss Again At The Copier, Scrambling To Get Nothing Done By 0-1730, Shirking My Duties, Ducking Out Before Afternoon Break, and other such very strenuous activities during the work day.
Would you believe, mainly bike riding? And chores around the place, though no hay bales to toss. I am putting up fence now and then. But don't have a nifty tractor like yours. Also...Can't actually take credit for some of those exercises above, think that is a standard routine of somebodies somewhere at some time. Well, get out the liniment, think you might need it. Thanks for sharing your very exercise-full day. Lift on...
Lol! dd I am sitting at the Phoenix airport eating a solo birthday dinner and you just made me snort most unladylike into my Greek salad!
I love your daily regimen, especially the boss dodging squats! Love to see some footage of that, you know, for technique observation purposes, 😂
You may have taken off already, but it's worth a try.
Oh dear. Don't hurt yourself there, GK...those Greek Airport salads are dangerous when caught in a semi-chortle. Is it your birthday today? If so...Oh happy day, and many many more to come. And if not, well, apply as needed when the day arises. Have oodles of fun in the land of the sun. Keep me apprised of your daily do-ins, if you have time. And if not, write a bunch about them when you return. I'm sure that is the plan. After all, that's why we do things in life, to be able to put them on Steemit...
Well, I'm off to put a roof on my little gazebo. Getting closer to the end here. Take it easy, and fly safe, and get as much free stuff from the stewerdi as you can. The pickins are slim these days. Ta'
PS. maybe I can make a Steemit video of my regimen. Then again...
It was my birthday! I went out to brunch with my family and then spent most of the day on planes, but it was fun and I met a bunch of cool people😊!
The gazebo roof is hopefully finished, I hope we get pictures? I also would really, really love to watch your exercise video, that would be awesome! Lol!
There is oodles of fun occurring here, but I think I will have to chronicle it when I get home. My nephew doesn't slow down much, if at all. At this moment I'm sprawled on his couch with his Shetland sheep dog. We both look similarly exhausted, and in the morning we have to photograph a wedding!
Hope you are having a fantastic night!!
Sounds like a very fun, and taxing time. How does that saying go?...a good vacation, is when you need a vacation to rest up, once you get back home from you vacation.
I have ONE more dumb panel on the roof to do. The process is SO slow, you have to pre-drill the panel with one drill, pre-drill the wiggle mold with another drill, and then use a third drill to put in the screws, then tighten it with a ratchet wrench...for each screw. I yi yiii, that's alot of steps. Almost done, then it started to rain, so had to get down. Don't want to fall off the ladder, as that would put a damper on the day. I do hope to put out a post on the gazeebo, or however it's spelled, once finally completed. It was a lot of fun, learning as I went along. But it turned out pretty nice, if I do say so myself. "So".
Happy late birthday, though I think I already wished you one earlier. That can be a fun way to spend a nice day, meeting people on the plane. I used to fly a lot more, and enjoyed that part of it, meeting new folks on the road. Don't fly as much anymore, so just have to talk to folks at the grocery store now.
Well, hope your wedding photography day goes well. Are you doing some of the photogs? Sounds like fun. I did a couple of friends weddings, it was stressful at times, but at least you can now look at what you are getting, rather than waiting a week. "Can we do that again, I messed up". Doesn't go over all that well. Well, I've babbled on here for quite a spell. Enjoy the running about at full speed. (Better not hold your breath on that video thing. Might get kicked off Steemit...)