Saturday, August 20, 2011

Say what? That burned 888 calories?!?!

When we moved into our house in Dec. 2005, we didn't really get a good idea of what the yard looked like because it was covered in snow. When the snow melted and the grass started to grow, we realized that we have a huge hard to mow. Well, huge for living in town anyways. The first summer we lived here was 2006, and I was pregnant with our first child. So there would be no push mowing the yard for me. I guess that first summer started the standard that Jason would be responsible for mowing the yard. In the summer of 2008, I was pregnant again, so my father-in-law mowed for me while Jason was deployed. 

I've mowed the yard twice from 2005 until today. Both times I cursed the entire time and swore I'd never, ever, never, ever do it again. It takes over an hour of pushing and pulling the mower, maneuvering around trees, a swing set and the pool. It's a work out, for sure. 

Today we were all outside. I had already gone for a 1.5 mile walk this morning with Kendra. Jason was working on the Bronco axle swap that he wants to finish before he leaves. I knew mowing the yard was on his plans for the day, but I could tell he really didn't want to stop working in the garage. 

So I got the key to the shed, put gas in the mower, and began mowing the yard. The lazy side of me was yelling at the ambitious side of me to cut it out and sit back down. I'm happy to say the ambitious side of me won.

It took me 75 painful, sweaty minutes to mow. I cursed a few times. I twisted my foot when I stepped in a hole. I hit my head on the tree branch that Jason has begged me to cut down for awhile now (guess what he'll be doing next weekend? Cutting down that darned tree!). I wanted to quit more than once. But for some reason, I kept pushing through the pain and I mowed the yard.

If you're not out of shape and you mow your yard a few times a week with no issues, you're probably thinking I'm just exaggerating. But for real, it was hard for me. I'm not in shape. I'm not an active person--well, I didn't use to be. I wanted to do this for Jason, so he could continue working on his project. The bonus is that it was also good exercise for me. 

How good? Well, I put the workout into My Fitness Pal as 75 minutes of push mowing, and for my current weight, I burned an estimated 888 calories. Holy sheep! As soon as I saw that, the sweat in my eyes didn't sting so much anymore. The blister developing on my foot wasn't as painful. And the ambitious side of me was saying, "Na-na-na boo, boo" to my lazy side. 

Best of all, Jason was truly appreciative that I mowed for him. I did warn him not to get used to it. He reminded me that he only has 3 more weeks of mowing before he leaves. Guess that means I better get used to feeling the burn of mowing the yard. I thought about hiring it done next summer while he's gone, but I think I'll hire someone to watch the kids while I do it instead. I could get used to burning that many calories just by mowing. Obviously, the calories burned will go down as my weight decreases, but still. It makes me feel good that I can take care of the lawn myself. Being overweight will no longer be an excuse as to why I can't mow. Instead, being overweight will be the reason I do mow the yard.

Watch out world, this fat girl is on a roll. First, mowing the yard. Next up, running a marathon. Okay, maybe not a marathon. But I feel like nothing can stop me now! 

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