Exercise or Yardwork

When I started my retaining wall project last month (yes, shameless promotion), I was currently in the habit of exercising 5-6 times per week. I was determined to maintain that schedule throughout the construction process, because I knew that I would feel guilty for not working out. Well, that lasted for all of three days. The first two days went fairly well; I exercised and than I went and spent three hours weeding the berm. However, on the third day, I began digging the trenches; this did not go so well. I was so exhausted from the exercising and the digging, that I all but collapsed when I was finished for the day. I discovered right then and there, that the yard work I was doing was providing me with more than enough exercise, thank you very much.

You see, I had it engraved in my mind that if I skipped a day of exercise, I would be sabotaging my whole fitness routine. Strange, I know, but that's what my mind-set was. Looking back on everything, I have come to realize that it is not just the fact that I am setting aside a certain amount of time each day to expend energy, it is the fact that I am actually expending energy. Whether in the form of a structured exercise routine or in the way of yard work: it is the fact that I am actually doing something physical.

Now, you may be asking what all this has to do with the title of this article? Well, simply put: it doesn't matter whether you do your usual exercise routine or do yard work. It matters that you get out there and do some sort of physical activity. So, put the guilt away and go get that yard (or mine) in shape.