Everyday Systems

Two things happened yesterday:

1) I discovered the Shovelgloving website, and was immediately smitten. I had just made the decision to get back into working out, and now that I have to get up much earlier than I used to, in order to get my kids on the school bus, I will have some spare time in the mornings. I was going to dig out my free weights and weight lifting videos, but I think this will be great.

2) Someone abandoned some things in the alley driveway of my sign shop - a ladder, an extension cord....and an eight pound SLEDGEHAMMER with a nice yellow handle.


If that's not a sign, I don't know what is.

The sledge was still there this morning, and if it's there when I leave for home, that baby is MINE! Whee!! (If it's not, I'm going to go buy one)

I took a test run this morning with my hubby's woodsplitting maul, and I LOVED IT!! I feel great today. (Probably should get the real thing, however, and not be swinging a bladed instrument around my office, eh?)


Sassy

That's a sign from a higher power, I'm sure!
Good luck with the routine, I just started yesterday (I'm so psyched to wake up tomorrow to do it again!) and it's simply great.

Those are definite a signs!!!

Congrats on the gifts from a higher power!!

Hahah definitely Divine intervention
Lucky you!
Free stuff is always fun to get too
Enjoy!
Debs

The sledge was still there after work, so I took it...but it turned out to be a 12lb sledge which I don't think I'm ready for.

So I stopped at the store and bought an 8lb one with with a hickory handle instead. It's very spiffy, and this morning I had a blast

I'm really stiff from it, though, so I'm probably going to add yoga back into my exercise mix.


Sassy

Well, here's a bit of 'anti-stiff' encouragement for you. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours doing actual digging, as I was having a spring-bulbs-planting bonanza in my front and back garden. I was digging 12in deep trenches to stick my tulips in, all through my heavy London clay soil. Now in the past I've had to do some serious yoga after something like that, just to unkink my lower back, and I can usually expect to feel it in my back and shoulders the following day.

Today? After nearly 4 months of sledging? I got nothing! No stiffness, no muscle soreness, or anything! I was out there at lunchtime today, swinging my beloved 10lb hammer around as if I'd never seen a spade! This stuff works.

Sassy,

Well, I'm please by this indisputable evidence that shovelglove has divine mandate! Sort of like the sword of Constantine.

As for the stiffness, I'm with morganlefay -- by all means be careful, but once you have a few weeks under your belt, I think you'll notice the opposite of stiffness.

Reinhard

More real-life-shovelling anecdotes: yesterday I spent about 2 1/2 hours doing some serious double-digging and weeding in a friend's garden, including excavating 6 or 7 housebricks from about a foot down (his soil is full of building rubble). 'I'm really going to feel this tomorrow' I thought. Wrong!!! To the extent that I can't really believe I was doing any heavy manual work yesterday! (I did do some fairly serious stretching afterwards, and my usual yoga session this morning, but still ...)

To the extent that I can't really believe I was doing any heavy manual work yesterday!

I've noticed this, too.

It's not just a cool concept, this mimicking manual work -- it actually does prepare you for it!

Looking forward to snow season

Reinhard