Friday, July 25, 2008

Special Friday "Review" Round-up

REDNECK PRODUCT REVIEW

The Bag Lady reads a lot of health and fitness blogs (she's not sure why, because she got rid of her health a long time ago!) and thoroughly enjoys the product reviews that several bloggers have been doing lately. The Bag Lady thought that perhaps it was time to do a few comparisons for you.

REDNECK STEP AEROBICS

The Bag Lady uses her front-end loader or her tractor for her step aerobics work-outs. She gets in and out several times every morning when feeding her cows in the winter. In the summer, she is up and down the steps into her house what feels like a million times a day!

REDNECK TREADMILL

The Bag Lady has read a lot of comparisons about different treadmills, and has determined that hers is the best. She actually goes somewhere when she works out on her treadmill! The only downside is having to sidestep the occasional cow pie, but that becomes easier with practice.


REDNECK WEIGHT LIFTING

There has been some discussion on several of the fitness blogs about whether working out with weights should be done every day, and whether it will cause women to develop huge muscles. The Bag Lady is here to tell you that lifting weights on a regular basis will not cause women to develop "manly" muscles. She lifts heavy things all the time and still looks like a bleeping marshmallow! (this photo shows the metal roller that the Bag Lady has been talking about.)


REDNECK BOSU BALL

The bosu ball is gaining in popularity, and the Bag Lady can think of nothing better than exercising while trying to maintain your balance. She combines balancing with lifting weights. She manages this when helping to install rollers in the baler, which entails standing on the bouncy rubber baler belts while lifting a 5-foot long, 50-lb metal roller over her head into a space where it doesn't want to go! An additional incentive to keeping your balance are the sharp metal prongs that protrude between each belt upon which you could impale yourself quite easily if you fell!


REDNECK YOGA

The Bag Lady practices redneck yoga in her garden on a daily basis. She generally only practices the "downward dog" pose, but feels the stretching is good for the back of her legs, and she certainly manages to get rid of lots of weeds at the same time!



REDNECK KETTLEBELL

The newest craze that seems to be rippling through the fitness community is the kettlebell. The Bag Lady doesn't have a kettlebell, but she does have a big ol' cast iron dutch oven that gives you much the same kind of a workout when you use it to cook over an open fire. Sling this puppy around to make all your meals, and you'll have terrifically toned arms in no time. There's also the added benefit of the heat from the fire, if slinging the dutch oven doesn't make you sweat! If done properly, you will also tone your abs and the muscles in your legs. Unfortunately, it only comes in two colours - black or rusty black.


REDNECK ROOT PICKING

She does have several other exercises that don't have an equivalent in the gym, unless perhaps you compare picking roots and rocks to doing squats and lunges. There is also grain-shoveling, manure shoveling, carrying pails of oats to feed to cows, and wrangling calves when it comes time to do any of the essentials like ear-tagging them. Of course, compared to previous generations, the Bag Lady has it pretty soft. She has only stacked square bales once in her life, which was terrifying because she's afraid of heights. She has never had to pitch bundles or stook bales or do any of the really hard physical labour that used to be done. Yup, she might have to start going to the gym in order to get a real work-out!


The Bag Lady hopes you have enjoyed her redneck product review, and encourages you to try some of these products at home.

49 comments:

Crabby McSlacker said...

What an awesome post!

Love the Rancher workout. (YOU get to say redneck if you want--not being a rancher myself I'll stay P.C.)

It's so funny, with all these city folks hiring expensive personal trainers to teach them functional fitness--when chores would do the trick just fine.

Anonymous said...

love.

you done the fitness world proud.

Miz.

Hilary said...

Too funny, Baggie! Your downward dog cracked me up.. well the whole post did, actually!

Leah J. Utas said...

Well done, df Bag Lady.
I'm sorry I can't do any of these at home.

Anonymous said...

Too funny, and true! sometimes people forget that all the crap we do in the gym, or at home, are to replace the real physical labor that most folks used to do every day!

I have a friend who's ten times happier slinging bags of gravel in her yard than any weightlifting you could give her, and she's wicked strong!

Alice said...

This a great post! And to echo Crabby, yes, this is TRUE functional fitness. I admire what you do, I have no idea that I would be able to do any of this without causing myself a major injury. Maybe I can do the farmer's yoga, but that's it. Also, I love your kettlebell with its original, "earthy" color. ;)

Missicat said...

Great post! Unfortunately I don't have any redneck equipment :-(

I love the redneck Bosu!

Emily said...

oh my gosh- you have made my day with this!! I will have to show my husband since he grew up on a (much smaller) cattle farm. He usually knows what your talking about when you mention farm equipment that I didn't even know existed. I hope you have a great weekend and don't work too hard!

Terrie Farley Moran said...

df Bag Lady,

Terrific post and a wonder "set" of exercises!

As a city gal, I am awestruck!

Terrie

Charlotte said...

This is completely awesome. I don't know if I've said this out loud to you before but can I PLEASE please PLEASE move in with you? I might actually eat meat and enjoy it if I raised it like you do. Every day the sheer ridiculousness of the gym and all that wasted energy irritates me. I love your life.

TB--Milwaukee said...

I'll stick with the metrosexual equipment (ie. steps, parking farther away, etc.)

Anonymous said...

My version is Canine Fitness. Treadmill? Retrieve an average of 50 dogs in 120 minutes from the kennel about 50 yards from the front desk. Weights? Lift, shove, pull, wrestle dogs in a variety of weights onto, off of, into, and out of places they don't want to go. Lift 50 pound containers of dog food onto 30" high counter in order to mop floor. Yoga: clean crates that are deeper than your arm is long, but not large enough for a human to fit through the door. Balance: walk dogs in yard where n minus 1 dogs have already pottied today without stepping in anything when dog unexpectedly changes speed and direction. Scrub every possible surface every day.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

Anonymous said...

Awesome stuff, this one is a keeper! :)

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, Crabby! And thanks for linking to this post from your blog! Methinks the gym was invented to replace all the chores that one doesn't have to do anymore when one resides in the city. Ah, progress.

Miz - thanks. I realized I forgot a few, but have to save some for later!

Hilary - you think the downward dog was funny in print, you should see it in real life!! Hahahahaha

dfLeah - thanks. Come visit anytime you feel the need to workout. :)

Geekgirl - I, too, would much rather do the physical labour in the garden (or wherever) - I find the gym too restrictive! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

Thanks, Alice! I like my 'kettleball', too, even though it looks like I haven't used it lately...ahem. Thanks for commenting.

Missicat - the redneck bosu has almost exhausted me this week, but I think we have it tamed now.

Emily - darn, I should have used more unusual stuff in my references to try to confuse your hubby! Like... ummm.... stoneboats and rootrakes, etc..... :)(hope he gets a kick out of this post!)

dfTerrie - I am always awestruck at your entertaining My Town Mondays, so I'm glad I could strike your awe for a change. Oh, wait, did that sound nasty? :)

Charlotte, thanks! That's so sweet! And yes, anytime you want to move in, you're more than welcome. And bring all your kids. The Cowman and I are getting old - we could use some ranch-hands! :)

TB - can't say as I blame you - you probably get plenty of exercise chasing around after your kids!

Mary Anne in the Kentucky Kennel - oh, yes - scads of work involved in something like that! Good for you for working with critters! Don't you just love it?!

Mark - thanks, glad you liked it.

Unknown said...

I need to get me a ranch!

:) Love this post.

The Merry said...

I think your treadmill is /much/ more effective than Orlando Manuel, my instrument of torture.
(What, like you never named your treadmill?)

And the cowpat dodging adds to the challenge, which keeps it from getting boring. :)

JavaChick said...

Looks dangerous.

I am afeared.

You are one brave Bag Lady!

And also, I'm thinking you must be fairly fit from doing all of that.

the Bag Lady said...

Sagan - thanks - glad you liked it!

Merry - can't say as I have named any of my fitness equipment....well, unless you count calves among fitness equipment...... ;)

the Bag Lady said...

Javachick - truth be told, there are lots of hazards on the ranch - many people have lost limbs or life because of a moments' inattention, usually caused by being so freakin' tired.
The Bag Lady wishes she were in better shape than she actually is.

Anonymous said...

All of it looks good to me. And I am so jealous that you have a farm.

Reb said...

Well done Sis! Love the bosu and the added excitement of trying to avoid impaling yourself!

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, John! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.

Thanks, sis. Yup, those bars that stick up between the baler belts make you very aware of your balancing skills!!

new*me said...

what a diverse workout you have!

the Bag Lady said...

new*me - it is rather, isn't it? And there are whole days go by in the winter when I scarcely move.... :)

Christine said...

LOL

this is fantastic. And it's so true - I've never been stronger than when I worked on a farm (lettuce, not cows)

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

The funniest part of this post is what didn't get said-- that if we all had lives that naturally included moving and lifting, we wouldn't need pricey personal trainers!

the Bag Lady said...

Christine - a lettuce farm?! Wow, that would be work! Thanks for dropping in and commenting!

BG - I agree whole-heartedly. Having been raised in the city, it was quite an eye-opener to discover all the physical activity involved in ranching. When I lived in town, I thought I was working hard when I was gardening. Now, that's almost the easiest part...:)

Amy Mullis said...

Dear Bag Lady--I'd rather be fat! Love, Amy

the Bag Lady said...

Amy - you silly goose - I AM fat!! (Your comment totally cracked me up!!)

azusmom said...

AWESOME!!!!!!!

david mcmahon said...

G'day from Australia,

I came here from Hilary's blog. What a hilarious post.

You'd enjoy our Aussie Fatm Games too!!

the Bag Lady said...

Azusmom - Thanks! And thanks for dropping in!

David - thanks for stopping in - glad you enjoyed the post. I would love to visit Australia.....sigh.

Clare2e said...

Dear Baggie-

You're psychic! I concur with Mary Anne from Kentucky (and you, of course). My 50 pound dog has recently required every other daily hoisting in and out of the bathtub and some wrestling within for a skin condition, plus several times daily stooping over to examine and dot balm on his sadly recurrent dog pox.

Recently, I noticed as I rose to a headful of swimmy stars that I was getting the same "inversion benefits" as when I did downward dog or the plow in yoga. Of course, doing those I'd miss the gloop-covered fingers, the splashing and extra loads of towels, not to mention the immense canine gratitude for all my fussing *sigh*

the Bag Lady said...

Clare - you get the swimmy-starry thing, too?
Hope your dog is better soon.... of course, then you'll have to find another way to get your yoga work-outs! :)

Anonymous said...

Now THAT is a workout! And you don't need any fancy, expensive equipment either! :)

Christine said...

Yeah, the lettuce farm WAS work. But I loved it - I felt I'd accomplished something when I went home after a day's work. And directly after that feeling of accomplishment I would fall face down into my plate of food.

10 hour days, 6 days a week... it's a good thing lettuce only grows for a few short months in Canada :D

the Bag Lady said...

Susan - that's too true! All you need is a strong back and a weak mind..... or something like that.

Christine - only 10 hour days, 6 days a week? You slacker, you!! :) (that would kill me, I'm sure!)

Christine said...

woulda been 7 days but my boss was dutch reform. No work on Sundays :P

Maggie said...

lmao My favorite is the redneck kettleball. I'm thinking you should charge big bucks if anyone wants to use and be train by you. :)

the Bag Lady said...

Supplement the income AND get someone else to do the work! Woohoo!

Tink said...

Omg, I love this post!!

the Bag Lady said...

Aww, thanks, Tink!

Cath said...

Fantastic! From a country girl who used to help out here and there - I know it is the best exercise you'll ever get!

Over from David (McMahon)'s where you're linked on Post of the Day - congratulations!

the Bag Lady said...

Crazycath - it really is great exercise, isn't it? Thanks for stopping by!

Geosomin said...

You're the best...when you got to the kettle bell part I giggled coffee out my nose. :)

Don't fall in or near the baler OK? I worry about people using the huge round balers...they just look so big and stabby...

the Bag Lady said...

Geosomin - woohoo!! I live to make people snort liquids out their noses!! You made my day!
Thanks for your concern - believe me, I'm very cautious around the farm equipment...read that as "big freakin' coward"!!

R. Mansfield said...

I've created a link to this post in the "This and That" section of our newest "Cast Iron Around the Web" entry at http://www.cookingincastiron.com

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks so much, Rick, for linking to my post!

R. Mansfield said...

Sure thing! Thanks for writing such a fun post!