There is a reason they call it "Fall"

Day 56 (whew!)
30 minute walk with the dog
1 hour raking leaves

There's a lot to love about fall: crisp air, dark beer, pumpkin ale, October fest, Halloween, carving pumpkins, picking apples, bonfires, apple cider and of course football games, but lets face it, there is a reason they call it "Fall" and those leaves are starting to pile up on your front lawn.

One of the benefits of working from home is that you have time and some flexibility to get stuff done that you would otherwise put off till the weekend. The leaves have been mocking me all week and today I started the task of trying to stay on top of the leaves instead of going to the gym or on a run during my lunch break. I don't have a huge front yard but I do have a large Oak that drops a gazillion leaves on my yard this time every year. The backyard is another story (HUGE tree).

So, I chose not to go to the gym today in order to prove a point which is raking leaves can be a solid workout.  It helps build upper-body strength, as well as core strength (strength in your back and stomach). As you're raking, your abs are working to stabilize your body while your arms are moving. A recent AARP article indicated that a 135-pound person could burn about 240 calories raking leaves for an hour. One calculator I looked at today said I burned about 300 calories raking leaves for about an hour. You can also make your wife "really" happy.

Taking care of business like this is a vigorous aerobic workout that involves prolonged repetitive motion, twisting, bending, lifting and of course carrying those bagged leaves around (watch your back and lift with your knees).

It also helps to have Metallica blasting in your ear while your raking (see the last post)

Thought for the day: I will stay on top of the leaf raking this year. Last year was out of control. I will not allow that to happen again.