How do you exercise for fun on the homestead

There are so many tasks to keep us busy as we take care of the animals and plants at our homes. However, sometimes I just want to do some mindless physical activity just for the purpose of burning some energy. Do you do anything like that? Here are some of the tasks I'll do just for fun:

-Hew timbers with an adze or broad axe
-Cut logs with an axe instead of chain saw or hand saw
-Move wheelbarrows of wood chips to the highest part of our property
-Turn the compost pile even though it doesn't need it

In the past, I also use to dig this deep hole trying to find a water line; creatures were starting to fall in there so I filled it back up though.

That entire concept is foreign to me.  I wish I had more energy.  I would burn it finishing more of the endless number of projects I have to finish.  I get all the exercise I need trying to keep up with all my land tasks...

I do still manage to lift weights occasionally but nothing like in the past.

I walk.  It is a good way to work out problems.

I like looking at the trees, flowers, wildlife and occasionally I am amused by seeing a vehicle where it doesn't belong.

I also like to do some mindful walking, like walking backward or at a zig-zag.

My wife and go on a walk each evening.

I'm surprisingly growing fond of digging (as long as the soil is decently rock free). I used to not like it. I think I've finally built up some stamina though, and I kind of enjoy it,  and feel good after it.

Here's my next goal.

Digging a small pond by hand

I agree that sometimes there's nothing like simple hard physical labor to clear the mind and refresh the soul. Other times I just want to lay in the hammock and watch the apple trees grow.

I play hacky sack in the backyard. It's really good for getting all stretched out.

I need to do some exercises because of health. They're a mix of my rehabilitation from the past, some yoga, and even tai chi or ballet stretches. Breathing and stretching is most important, and to do symmetrical exercises, because during gardening you may be subconsciously putting more load on one side, because of being right-handed for example. I'm in fact ambidextrous - I can write with both hands, but because of habits I tend to use one side more than the other in certain activities.

Professional athletes often have a hobby - another sport which they do on amateur level just to use different muscles.

Anne Miller wrote:I walk.  It is a good way to work out problems.

I like looking at the trees, flowers, wildlife and occasionally I am amused by seeing a vehicle where it doesn't belong.

I also like to do some mindful walking, like walking backward or at a zig-zag.

I love walking. I used to walk for miles every day before I had kids. It really is a great way to process your thoughts and feelings. There was some research I read once, where that side to side motion that your eyes make, scanning the ground in front of you, and then looking ahead and around, while you walk, actually helps you to process things. So from what I remember, some therapists started having their patients do certain eye motions during therapy. I say if you are physically able, just go for a walk, though! There are also those endorphins released, there's the rhythmic motion, plus that feeling of space and peace and, like you said, looking at the trees, flowers, etc.

Since having kids, my walks have been much shorter, less frequent, and not nearly as peaceful. I'd love to figure out a way to go for a very long solitary walk more often.

I've been making lots of new beds out of what used to be lawn, using a grub hoe and a grape hoe to chop up the sod. These are special, sharp, heavy hoes from Easy Digging that are just a whole different experience than a regular hoe from a big box store.

This is a great workout, and of course, useful too! Since the hoe is so much more ergonomic than a shovel, it doesn't cause the tension in my hips and back that shoveling was causing, so I can really just go for it and keep going until I am just too tired. I've been making beds this way for about 3 weeks, and I am getting so much stronger, and honestly feel great. There's a certain rhythm I can get into while using the hoe, and, if I do it right, it engages pretty much my entire body. I've reach an age where "use it or lose it" is starting to seem particularly relevant, and I think, while healthy diet is very important, plenty exercise is also a lot more important than most people realize. I know it's something I have neglected in the past, instead focusing only on what I eat or don't eat.

I also try to do yoga once a week, just some basic vinyasa flow exercises to release tension before it turns into things like sciatica or back pain, which does happen eventually if am too lazy or busy to do yoga. For some reason I always put it off; it's so hard to get started, but I am always so glad once I get going. Some people get their nails or hair done and call it "self-care" but for me, yoga is what brings those words to mind, every single time.

Off-topic on the benefits of walking for processing thoughts. At a small research company where I once worked, the president complained to me that one of the software engineers was spending time wandering around the hallways looking distracted. I explained to her that he got up and wandered whenever he hit a sticking point in a project. After 10 to 20 minutes of wandering and puzzling, he'd return to his workstation with the solution.

I gave up "exercising for fun" when we got the 40 acres ... just getting project work done is more than enough exercise. Walk to a project ... realize some tool is back in the other direction, so walk back ... repeat indefinitely.

However, there are times when I walk to a "project pile", stare at it for awhile realizing something is holding it up, and then I walk on, through the acres of pine trees, way beyond all projects ... it's that nice!

In all of my spare time during the cooler months I work on clearing the thick, viney forest edges that encompass my 3 pastures.  At the end of the day I feel like I was just in a boxing match!

Jt Lamb wrote:I gave up "exercising for fun" when we got the 40 acres ... just getting project work done is more than enough exercise. Walk to a project ... realize some tool is back in the other direction, so walk back ... repeat indefinitely.

However, there are times when I walk to a "project pile", stare at it for awhile realizing something is holding it up, and then I walk on, through the acres of pine trees, way beyond all projects ... it's that nice!

We have 80 acres now, and I could have written that exact post.

More for sanity than fun, the great biochar project (see link below) got started during covid as a way to spend a lot of time outside doing gentle exercise.  Gathering some brush for 15-20 min has become a part of my daily routine.    

Hi, A little walk with the wife, A little rock in the chair, a little kiss on the lips, a little ###.