Sledgehammers

The Amish put much emphasis on working together and believe that it is better to do a task with several people rather than using something that might only require one person to do it. By restricting their use of technology, the Amish have been able to maintain a closeness of family and community that our larger society has lost. Those convenieces, as a result of technology, separate people rather than draw them together and limits physical activity and being outdoors. They see folly in a lifestyle that avoids physical labor, then creates exercise in the form of jogging, aerobics and 24 hour fitness centers. I can tell you for certain, they know what they are talking about!!

We are heating our home with wood. This requires alot of physical labor by both LaVern and I. We have not had to go out and cut any wood yet although I am looking forward to that this summer. Instead we have a big pile of scrap lumber and some cut logs the Amish left for us. We do have to cut it to size however. LaVern mans the chainsaw and I stack. The other day I decided to try my hand at splitting wood. Having never done this before I thought it wood be fun and a good workout. After all: swinging a sledgehammer offers numerous benefits. A condensed list includes:
Improve work capacity
Develop core strength
Enhance grip and forearm strength

After splitting three stumps this is what I learned:

You need to split from the top of the stump (not while it is laying on its side)

A dry, dry oak stump is HARD, HARD wood

You need to hit the wedge direct on (preferably with each swing)

You do NOT want to use a 16 pound sledgehammer (it's all we had)

A sweatshirt is plenty warm enough (even in subzero temperatures)

Forget joining a fitness center (get a wood stove instead and cut wood)