Yard Work is a Great Gym Substitute.

Digging ditches means a lot of  lower back work,  I am a tall guy at 188cm/6’.2”inches, plus I am in my mid 50’s so my concern with this type of labor is physical injury; tweaking my back and straining my knees with the possibility of weeks of incapacitation and rehabilitation.

Phoenix showing me his class school project

As a rule of thumb a good deep tissue work outs will result in pain not the day after but 2 days after the routine and that is when I realized my projects paid deep dividends.

"No more ditches"

Lifting, bending, stretching, squatting, and increased heart rate are all intricate elements of lawn work.  Trying to accomplish the same benefits that a good yard project provides in the gym will require a considerable amount of time, planning and thought to duplicate. 

The water magnet

The necessity of a good grip on whatever tool is being used; employee’s isometrics for longer periods of time then would be a normal part of most gym training session.  A strong grip is a building block for increased hand, wrist, and forearm and upper body strength.

my next project

The rainy season is coming to Koh Samui which means lots of water.     November of20 10 and March of 2011 both created havoc at the homestead.   The Boss has made it clear that she is not having any peace of mind unless something is done about the drainage system around the house hence I am in the process of having two water catch dug with connecting flow and run off pipes to route the water into our existing water management system.   My rain management need is considered such a small job that we have been unable to hire the work out and I have found myself with shovel, hoe, bucket, wheel barrel and spades in tow.

water damage

 I am in my 3rd week of ditch digging approximately three 2hr sets per week and the results have been amazing.   Making sure to bend and use my legs to protect my back from injury while shoveling is a great back yard squat which has resulted in increased leg strength.  The chopping motion used with the hoe is the equivalent of using a kettle ball, again a squat and thrust motion with weight resistance.   A great push and pull routine is lifting and pushing a full load of dirt on the wheel barrel to my fill sight it not only works the arms and back but the legs and as well.

 Lawn projects provide an incredible full body work out that a gym routine cannot match in an equal amount of time.   I have become so excited about the ability to burn calories around the home that I have several projects going at one time; I have 2 days a week that I dedicate to projects spending a minimum of 2hrs on each chore per day.   In my opinion doing odd jobs is much better for my health than watching T.V.  or playing on the computer, and more interesting than training at the gym, it is a great productive  way to change up a healthy routine and still get the calorie kill I aim for.  

Go have some fun

Geo

popee and phoenix out with mom