Hoeing Around LOL

Now that we are in actual summer weather, I reaffirm my decision to vacation in the Pacific Northwest later. That was a good call on my part! I felt like my skin was going to melt off this evening.

No wonder there didn't used to be an obesity problem: manual labor is hard work. Speaking of which, I really need to rub some Badger Balm on my hands. I've long said that I think fluorescent lighting is the devil. On a day like today, you feel it all the more. Yes, it was hot but there's only so much ass-sitting in the office that I can tolerate. They had the AC blowing 90 to nothing and it was just uncomfortable. I've been trying to increase my NEAT activities (http://summertomato.com/non-exercise-activity-thermogenesis-neat/) not just for the summer, but in general. You feel better when you do more. When you are often inert, you want to stay that way but when you get off your ass, you feel more motivated to keep off your ass until it really is time to rest. (Like right now, LOL.) In that spirit, here are a few things I've been doing that you can do, too. I'm going to call it NEAT Shit You Can Do. It will show you how people stayed trim without treadmills, Zumba classes, StairMasters, etc.

Gardening
So if you're like I used to be, you associate gardening with old ladies in floppy hats holding tiny trowels. Balls out gardening is hard work. Hoeing and pulling up weeds will educate you. I didn't rent a tiller this year; I hoed the rows myself and I've been cultivating the soil the same way. The soil seems very healthy and I have been able to observe a wide ecosystem from grubs, worms, garden spiders, butterflies, and bugs to shrikes to bees to the free range chickens to a snake. So long as our paths do not cross and he stays away from the house, he is free to live out there. It's vermin control, which is so much the better.  If he is identified to be venomous, he'll have to go but otherwise, he can stay in his hole. (http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/462/) I have a composting rabbit and she has provided excellent organic fertilizer. I'm not using any herbicides or pesticides. It's all natural. You'll feel all this work in your whole body. It has helped me to target areas I never got even during the most rigorous weight training.

Pruning & Debris Removal
Simple enough: you're clearing out shit you don't need. Working with pruning shears will get all up in your pecs, shoulders, armpits, and ribs. Then you have to haul your limbs off so you'll be lifting and walking back and forth. Wear good gloves while dealing with limbs and rose bushes. I tried to tug on a loose tree limb and scraped the shit out of my hand, so lesson learned the hard way.

Animal Husbandry
Taking care of pets and keeping them in a clean environment represents daily work. And it is rewarding work that gives you a reason to move around.



 More to come.