Ahhh, I remember the days of being a carefree college student, where I had plenty of time to go to the gym whenever I wanted (or didn’t want). The days where you could eat half a pizza without worrying if your jeans would fit the next day. And the hot summer days of laying out at the pool without being self conscience about swimsuit season.
…Cue Adulthood.
I’m doing good to squeeze in a 30-minute walk around the school track while I leave my car abandoned in the car rider pickup line at school and get dirty looks from other parents. Bikini swimsuit? Lawd, that ain’t happened since 2011. I’m strictly in the ‘t-shirt over your swimsuit’ category, and I’m totally cool with that. And, to top it all off, I keep getting these sponsored posts on my Facebook news feed for shapewear! I’m like…. FACEBOOK…….why you gotta be so mean?
However, while many of us women in ag may not enjoy the luxury of a gym membership (is there even a gym in my home county?), that doesn’t mean we can’t get creative in our exercise routines. Surprisingly, working on a farm or ranch actually burns quite a few calories, so we created the 6 Week Women in Ag Workout Challenge!
That’s right, get your bikini bod back before summer! Thousands of ag women worldwide are already using this workout!
So, in honor of every Facebook workout I screenshot but never quite get around to doing, maybe this one will be one I can actually complete! 🙂
MONDAY
Feed Sack Challenge
- 40 reps (1 for each bag of feed in the ton of feed you picked up at the feed store)
- Barn Sweep #1 (really focuses on the leg and arm muscles)
TUESDAY
Extreme Haybale
- 20 reps (each bale = 1 rep, i.e. 20 bales). Must Load and unload each bale.
WEDNESDAY
Mineral Tub Lift/Roll (Let’s be honest, we know we can’t lift these alone. So the push / roll method is perfectly acceptable.)
Barn Sweep #2 (really focuses on the leg and arm muscles)
THURSDAY
Herd Bull Challenge
- Step 1: Carry feed sack cautiously into pen with the snortiest bull on your ranch
- Step 2: Empty feed sack while eyeing herd bull
- Step 3: RUN back to your truck without getting hooked
FRIDAY
Fence Building Fitness
- T Post driving while walking miles along the fence line
SATURDAY
Kids Show Day Weekend! (Taking your kids to a stock show can really make you feel the burn)
Trailer Hookup / Unhooking Arm Workout
- Rusty jack lifting (5x each arm)
- Hook and Unhook Arms: Alternate arms after each 20 seconds of cranking to maximize the muscle tone.
May also incorporate these exercises:
- Tack loading and unloading challenge
- Chasing your kids around the barn workout
- Cattle washing / brushing / blowing tricep workout
SUNDAY
Rest day!
Who are we kidding!!! You’re a ranch lady. You don’t get rest days!! Get your family ready for church. Catch up on the laundry. Plan the meals for the week.
It’s not over yet! Our Women in Ag Workout contains TWO BONUS WORKOUTS for seasonal times of year!
BONUS WORKOUT #1
Calving Season Mega-Burn! When it’s calving season, you can really step it up a notch by incorporating these into your current Women in Ag Workout Daily Fix:
Baby Calf Carry in combination with Mama Cow Run
- Lift/carry 60 pound calf while running from a protective mama cow
Calf Tagging Squats
- Lift and squat over said baby calf while ear tagging, while possibly running from mother.
BONUS WORKOUT #2!
Sale Season Melt Down
This is for the die-hard ladies in ag who want to achieve the maximum burn, in the shortest amount of time.
- Volunteer to handle the halter-breaking of all sale calves. Expected burn: 300 calories/day/head.
- Volunteer to assist with picture day on your ranch. Preferably on the hottest day of the year in the blazing sun. Guaranteed to crank up a minimum of 20,000 steps on your Fitbit!
