Day 35 Mon Exercise By Milking

Started out feeling bloated and like I didn't get anything done during the weekend. Sure I got lots of chores done, trees planted, cheese made, etc. ... ... but I didn't really exercise and I get on the exercycle. So ... began again.

Pre-Milking Snack: diet shake

Breakfast: oats cooked in whey, 1 egg scrambled with cheese

Lunch: red cherries, homemade riccotta with peanut butter, leftover whey-oats

Snack: pecans and walnuts

Dinner: pork-n-beans, raw zucchini

WHAT DID I DO: I made my resolve to change many parts of my life, planned it out, and dug in. Milked (a whole quart - I think I have it down now!), strained, refrigerated and cleaned up. Helped my Kid with breakfast. Got my breakfast. Exercycle 10 minutes. Fed/watered chickens. Did 5 minutes of exercises. Worked on syllabus and curriculum for my Kid's schoolwork (starts 9th grade next week). Collected 4 eggs. Lunch (those oats were so amazing that I had to finish them!). Worked on my book. Snack. Worked on my Kid's math assignments for first semester, then started his home-ec assignments. Exercycle 10 min. Another 5 minutes of exercises. Milked, strained, refrigerated and cleaned up. Collected another 2 eggs (hey.. a full house!). Dinner. Did a little leisure reading (ME time). Shower. Bed.

Maybe I should explain about milking a goat. Not the technical part, but how the motion of milking a goat provides a great workout for my arms. Take a baby's sock and fill it with sand. Now... not only do you squeeze the sock (teat), but you curl your fingers around with every squeeze AND pull down with your whole arm (although some people rest their elbows on the milking stanchion, I don't because I want the muscle!). Believe me, it's quite a workout. The first few days I was very sore, doing it twice a day. I'm much better and much faster now, and feel like my arms are really gaining that muscle. Here's a vid I found on youtube of how another person milks a goat.... a little different than how I do it.


Today is weigh-day so I'll post that in a little while.