Any business requires the owner to make decisions, set priorities, and allocate resources to deliver the goods to your customers. And organic farming and market gardening is just as knowledge-intensive as any small business you could name. This means you have to manage and grow your business as well as your garden. Being physically fit means your brain is working better & more efficiently allowing you to make quicker & better decisions on issues that come up on and off the fields.

Exercise combats effects of physical and mental stress while improving your  brain’s response to stress. You may not be able to reduce the daily stressors in your long day, but you can change the way you respond. At the same time, increased confidence & lowered stress chemicals help to manage the symptoms of depression & anxiety. In some cases, even 30 minutes of exercise a day is even more effective than medication! Being mentally strong can help you to make better decisions for your crops, livestock & family.

When your body is able to function better & more efficiently, it allows for the extra energy that would have been spent on basic & every day functions & tasks - to be spent on other things. This could include finally fixing that old fence, checking off some of those honey-to-do lists, or even more quality time spent the kids after long day of hard work. Being able to more quickly accomplish the same amount of tasks, allots you a little extra time - even if its just sitting on the porch sipping on a well earned ice cold sweet tea or lemonade.

Highly motivated individuals tend to perform better. This shows in their attitude, daily outlook, performance, quality of work, time management & sometimes even the quality of their products. This means you need to try every way you can to keep your motivation and your belief high. There will be setbacks and disappointments. If you have a clear idea of what you are trying to create & you are mentally & physically able to keep up with the ever growing demands of the business, you stand the best chance of achieving your goals & success.

Over the winter months especially, it is easy to get a little sluggish. Yes, rest from a busy year of planting, maintaining & harvesting - but remember that staying in shape helps you for next years harvest. Keeping you flexible, strong & healthy for when planting season comes back around - a healthy diet & maybe even some lost pounds will help you to perform better next season.

Farming is a physically challenging occupation demanding long hours on top of constant activities such as bending, squatting, grabbing, twisting, pulling, pushing, cutting, walking, running, dragging, digging, pounding, lifting, tossing, catching & reaching. No matter if you harvest crops, run a dairy farm or orchard - if you are in  agriculture - you need to be in physical shape. This includes being flexible enough to correctly fulfill your daily duties & potentially avoid injury. Farmers don't always have the luxury of laying in bed when they don't feel well or are in pain. Staying in shape will help to avoid this as much & as long as possible.