Those of us who spend time with horses know that they bring out the best in us! Horses work in many types of therapy programs for this very reason. If you want to become physically stronger, take care of a horse (or 2, or 3...). The daily moving of hay bales, mucking (cleaning) stalls and pastures, unrolling and rerolling water hoses, grooming, riding, repairing fences, etc. will burn lots of calories and build muscle. An old friend (an herbalist in Las Cruces who now works with Dr. Weil) once advised me to "park the car as far away from the store as you can and walk to the entrance". It's good advice.
If you spend time with horses, you walk a lot! When others advise you to "make it easier on yourself" and "use the tractor" for something you can easily do yourself - thank them for their concern, but do tell them that The Path of Equus brings opportunity to move more and be more...truly healthy.
Do you ride? One way to expand your equestrian path is to "ALIGN YOURSELF" with mounted exercises that help to train your body to be in balance with your horse's body and have relationship with gravity and movement.
Do the exercises first at a stand still, then at a walk, then trot and finally at a canter (if you ride a laterally gaited horse - substitute your intermediate lateral gait for trot!). Use a round pen or have someone longe you on your horse, or do the movements while riding up an arroyo or through a meadow.
Arms out from the shoulders (like an airplane) will show your shoulders where to be - open and relaxed. Reaching straight up with your arms shows your spine how to stretch and center. Lifting your thigh (one side at a time) away from the saddle/horse will show your hips how to align and holding your ankle with the hand (on the same side), knee bent will show your knee and thigh how to stay back under your body.
