The Physical Workout of Living on a Ranch

My lifestyle provides me with daily workout routines, which is a good thing. The closest gym is over an hour away. I live on a ranch in central New Mexico and when you have animals depending upon you, you get out and tend to them, no matter what the weather is like. The physical activity of working on the ranch keeps me in good shape. Summers add even more opportunities with gardening, doing outside maintenance and preparing for winter.

Year-Around Fitness Workout on the Ranch

My morning physical routine consists of checking livestock. They must have food and water to survive and they depend upon me to see to their needs. A small bale of hay weighs an average of 60 pounds. During the summer, I do not have to feed much hay out, however, I do have to load trailers full of hay and unload it into the barn for winter. We stockpile an average of 800 bales to feed out as needed. Thus, there is lots of weightlifting involved with just the hay bales. That does not include the 40 pound sacks of grain that also must be moved, fed or stored depending upon the season.

Summer Fitness Workout on the Ranch

Summers add the opportunity to work around the ranch. There is always a fence that needs to be fixed or corrals that need to be cleaned. There is also the garden which is a wonderful way to work out through the growing season. Hoeing weeds and digging in the dirt really connect you with the earth and you get a good workout, too.

Just for Fun Fitness Workouts on the Ranch

During the summer, I also spend a lot of time walking. My mom's house is a quarter mile from mine as the crow flies. Along the road, it is about a mile. During good weather, I will often walk from my home to hers to take care of chores and to check on any livestock that is around. I also will saddle up my horse for a relaxing spin around the place. When my husband is home for the weekend, we love to either ride the horses or just take a long, leisurely walk reconnecting with each other.

Winter Fitness Workout on the Ranch:

Winter will drive you indoors for all but the most pressing of matters. During the winter, once the livestock is tended to, my fitness routine moves indoors. Chores are still at the top of the things to do, but now they tend to be cleaning the house. One of the best ways to get a workout while you are cleaning is to turn on some upbeat music and dance your home clean. I find this works well to balance being stuck indoors with the need to get my physical workout.

The physical work at the ranch provides me with the workout I need without bothering to go to a gym. I get to spend my day working out in the clean mountain air of the ranch and enjoy the livestock who are more like friends than just another chore. This lifestyle definitely works for me.