Re-purpose, reuse, relocate sod, dirt and pond muck to other areas needing filled or leveled.  For short distances, I use a wheelbarrow or tarp and rope to transfer the materials and workout my legs. A trailer is used for long distant transfers. A shovel is used to fill the trailer, giving me a mid-section, arm and shoulder workout.  Use different size shovels to achieve various weights.  Drink lots of water and wear a belt to stay hydrated and protect your lower back from over-stress.

To strengthen the path crossing over the washed-out area, I’ll be adding sticks, branches, extra wood, and old tires to help hold the path together. Throwing tires like a disk and tossing branches and wood stretches the shoulders and builds muscle.

Helping or doing something nice for somebody out of the kindness of your heart is healthier than doing it because your expected to.  I’m not implying payment isn’t good or you shouldn’t earn a decent wage for your hard work and time.  Making money is good and helps us feel secure, but that’s a job and we expect to be paid, just as we’re expected to do the job. Working around home, helping other, doing something nice are not jobs; they’re ways of staying physically and mentally healthy. Working keeps the body physically active and the visual stimulation from completing a project or seeing the reaction of someone you’ve helped, is heart warming and mentally healthy.

This pond needs a little TLC and character to give it life and bring joy to those who visit. Over the next week, using bits and pieces around the property and what Nature has provided, I’m going to add a sandy beach and reconstruct and stabilize the inlet and outlet tubes.

There is a beautiful nature trail wrapping around the pond which is inaccessible do to the two washed out areas. Looking forward to exercising in Nature’s Gym (the great outdoors) completing the project and watch the kids enjoying themselves and having fun.

Getting outside and doing yard work doesn’t have to be a chore, duty or even boring. The issue of liking or disliking yard work is irrelevant; it’s a way of thinking, not doing. Your mind is a very powerful tool and your mind-set (how you think, see or hear) determines the positive and negative response, action or answer to any given question, scenario and situation.  Take a positive approach and think about the benefits of working outdoors.

Benefits of Outdoor Chores:

1. Get my  daily exercise – stay fit

2. Feels good inside to visually see accomplishment

3. Stretches, Tones and Builds Muscle

4. Burns Fat – Weight Loss

The point here is:  “THINK positive, BELIEVE in yourself  and ACHIEVE anything”

Now, shut off the television, stop the game,  put the iPod down, get off the computer and get outside and appreciate Nature and all she has to offer you!

Summer is here, time to prepare the lawn and garden tools, which we’ll refer to as equipment.  Yard work is a great way to shape and tone body and muscle.  Starting with hand tools;  specifics you’ll want to consider when look for your next piece of equipment.  Similar to using barbells and dumbbells in a gym, each piece of equipment works a different one or more muscle groups. The following video examines each tool and the purpose for its use. With the right fitness and exercise gear and a healthier mind, body and soul, yard work will never be the same.

Yard and house work is a good way to exercise and build muscle at the same time. As a young boy, I despised cleaning my room, cutting the grass, raking leaves, shoveling snow, etc. It wasn’t that the work was difficult, I didn’t see any benefit or reason to do it. Today, a bit older and wiser, yard and house work has become my main source for physical fitness, exercise and bodybuilding.

Uncle Jim, Calyb & Connor

As your doing things, anything, around the house, think about what muscle your using. Concentrate, with each move, on the tightening and relaxing of that muscle. Believing your building a healthier mind, body and soul puts a whole new perspective on doing house work.

These are some of my favorite work-out equipment. Made for common everyday yard and house work, many tools have multiple uses. Add tape and splints to strengthen areas that are prone to snapping, cracking or breaking, when under lots of stress. Be creative, turn your tools into fitness equipment and your yard into a gym. It’s much easier and beneficial to exercise at home for an hour or two, compared to driving somewhere else.

Drinking water (6-6oz. glasses per day) is required for a healthy body and digestive system.  Squeezing lemon or lime juice helps add flavor, but has no beneficial factors. I add Benefiber in my daily water consumption.  Along with its orange flavor, Benefiber helps with my daily recommended fiber intake.  Contrary to the belief that Benefiber is for “Older People” or is a “laxative”, neither are true.

 
Our body requires water and fiber, on a daily basis, in order to function properly. Water helps wash unwanted sugars and carbohydrates from our body, whereas, fiber helps the digestive system remove the fats and proteins.

Liking or disliking water is not the issue;  it’s the boring and bland flavor.  Experiment with flavors you enjoy, to drink more water.  Not only will you feel more energetic, you’ll feel less hungry by drinking more water.

Using coupons is a great way to save money on food products you enjoy, without having to settle for less. Printable coupons will save you money on your next grocery shopping trip. Access over $100 in printable grocery & drugstore coupons right from your browser. Contains no adware or spyware.