Hi,

Fitness is a bg deal these days, and they're marketing all of these tracking gadgets and gym memberships etc.

I pretty much hate stuff like that. I don't really mind, and sometimes actually enjoy useful exercise -- cutting wood, splitting wood, and other chores that pile up around here. (I DON'T do these to excess LOL)

So, I'm wondering if some fitness genius could come up with guidelines about doing things like that for maximum physical benefit. I would imagine that it would be tougher to figure out than normal exercises -- because you have to set it up so that you can still get a reasonable amount of actual work done.

I suspect that some guides like that could be fairly popular -- although you probably couldn't sell any designer clothes, water bottles, and the like to go with it


Any opinions ?

hj

 

I'm a letter for the USPS and I can say for certain that a nice vigorous walk everyday is great for you. It's low impact and still gets your heart rate up a bit.

Many smart phones can track the number of steps you take, your heart rate and many other things and they are amazingly accurate. A treadmill in the winter months or during inclement weather is a nice to have item as well.

Things like shoveling snow, raking leaves, splitting wood are work and they can hurt you real bad if you're not conditioned to perform these tasks. Using them as exercise is the wrong approach IMHO.

 

I agree with Tim.

I'm a painting contractor by trade (often quite physical), and that certainly helped along the way, but I was definitely putting on a few pounds a year over time. That is, until I started cycling again, which got my cardiovascular system whipped back into better shape. I lost about 15 pounds initially (mostly from around the waist), then gained about 10 back in muscle because my new-found cardio fitness allowed me to work much harder.

Pretty much everyone I know who doesn't engage in a dedicated fitness activity, but does lots of physical work is overweight.

Jason

 

i worked for a guy his favorite quote ,,,hard work never killed anybody,,, but how many people die shoveling snow

 

Yeah but is that just a convenient excuse to NOT shovel the walk?

Most people experiencing heart issues when hand removing snow tend to be out of shape to begin with. Add in the cold somewhat masks any rise in body temps due over-exertion for one's general state of condition and you've got the recipe for such things.

Just because we don't feel bad right now doesn't mean there's not trouble brewing..................

 

I get my exercise running down the boss, jumping to conclusions, and flying off the handle.

 

I exercise just enough to keep the rust from settling in the pipes but not enough to cause them to burst.