Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Sport or Fitness (02/15/07)
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TITLE: Fitness Routine - Cowgirl Style | Previous Challenge Entry
By LaNaye Perkins
02/17/07 -
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After coffee and a quick breakfast it’s time to hit the ground rolling. Grain needs to be fed. We have seven horses. Which means you carry seven buckets, to seven stalls. This works the upper body real good. It’s great for toning those arm and upper back muscles. Of course, sometimes you also get the added bonus of wrestling with a horse who is a little overzealous about wanting their grain. Which can add whole body toning, and cardio-vascular work to the routine. If this is the case. You can bet I‘m exercising my prayer muscles too. Helps me keep my thoughts and mouth clean. Especially when dealing with the feisty ones.
While the horses are eating grain. I clean the stalls. You can bet your boots that there’ll be one full wheelbarrow per stall. Sometimes you get two or three, depending on the effort of the stall’s occupant. It’s a really good workout for toning the muscles in your entire body. Loading the wheelbarrow then pushing it to the manure pile to dump. It’s a good cardio-vascular workout too. This exercise will work up a good sweat even in the dead of winter.
By the time the stalls are clean. The horses are done eating and it’s time to turn them out to the pasture. This is so they can get some hay or graze. This part of the routine is usually a nice time to relax and gear up for the next phase.
If it is winter time I load hay in the bed of my truck next. Then head out to the pasture to throw it out in piles. Loading and unloading that hay provides great overall muscle toning. Most hay bales weigh about seventy pounds, give or take. After that, I take the truck back to the barn and sweep out the loose hay. Of course, I take time to thank the Lord again. Something as simple as that old truck starting so it can carry those bales. Is a blessing in itself. Besides, it never hurts to say thanks to the man upstairs.
Come on partner, it’s time to move on to the water troughs. This chore isn‘t too hard, but can be a real challenge. I usually pray before I ever start. The hose is 100 feet of antagonistic rubber. Unrolling it is akin to trying to outsmart a living thing. It’s a constant battle to keep it from getting tangled up in a mess. It never fails though. Somehow it always gets tangled up. This job is definitely more of a mental challenge. It is not strenuous at all. Yet, I always seem to get my heart rate up and feel exhausted before I‘m finished. Naturally, this antagonist is done messing with my mind by the time it‘s unwound. So, rolling it back up is always fairly easy. I usually end up this chore with a prayer of thanks for surviving all efforts to thwart me.
It’s time for the noon break now. Usually this means go grab a bite of lunch and get ready for the afternoon chores. The noon break usually lasts about an hour.
Okay now, time for the afternoon phase of my routine to start. It’s time to work the horses. Each one has different needs. So this could involve ground work, or time in the saddle. The ground work is a total body workout. It involves muscle toning and cardio-vascular work. The riding is mostly a muscle toning workout. Of course, each horse is different. Some will provide you with cardio-vascular work as well. How much will depend completely on each horse and their attitude. Praying is done continually while this is being done. If you have ever worked with horses, you know why.
Alright partner, the day is finally done now and dusk is starting to darken the skies. I’m heading back to the house. I still have dinner to cook and then dishes to clean up. So I’d like to ask you before you go. Do you really think I need a fitness routine?
2-15-07
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If I were to make one tiny criticism (and I mean tiny) it would be that you tended to over-use one or two words/ phrases - toning, cardiovascular workout. It would be worth having a look to see if you can substitute synonyms or circumlocute in some way (eg - gets those upper arm muscles in good shape). Good piece, and I hope you do well with it.
If I were to make one tiny criticism (and I mean tiny) it would be that you tended to over-use one or two words/ phrases - toning, cardiovascular workout. It would be worth having a look to see if you can substitute synonyms or circumlocute in some way (eg - gets those upper arm muscles in good shape). Good piece, and I hope you do well with it.
Thanks for putting us all through it! I feel better now.