How much should a homesteader weigh?

I'm small and in pretty decent shape. I'd like to be in more consistently good shape, and I would be if I would lift weights consistently - chores seem not to give me the optimal workout of each muscle group three times per week.

I don't think fat would be helpful in doing any of the work involved in homesteading. I don't think fat would be helpful in staying healthy, either. There are greater health risks associated with those extra pounds. If possible, fit and trim is best, for us and for our working dogs, horses, dairy goats, and most productive livestock (OK, other than, for example, a hog you are fattening for extra lard).

Keep in mind that even though you can toss those feed bags, you might not be in cardiovascular health. How long does it take you to run a mile? are you going to puke 10 yards into it?

I wanted to add...I like the way my father puts it. He says you should be in good enough shape to do the things you want to do. (Within reason.) You don't have to be skinny, and you don't have to be an athlete. But if you find yourself unable to enjoy things because of your fitness level...that is the time to do something about it.

Kayleigh

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Thinner people live longer. That can be a plus-or not. What was the last figure for overweight people in the U.S.? 3/4? An awful lot, I know. And I ARE one.
I'm 5'5" & 138...should be 125.

Patty

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5'-10" , 170 lbs, w12 pak abs

It's something new they have started. They weigh you now after they have tagged and numbered you.

No 12 pack abs for me. I have a keg.

I'm 5'10, and weigh 155. I've never felt the need for more mass in order to do anything around the place.

I do know I'd hate to be dragging an extra 25 pounds around at the end of a long day. I've done it; I have weighed as much as 175-180. Losing the weight makes a difference.

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"If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law." -- Winston Churchill

Really, I'm not overweight, I'm just a little too short. So, instead of dieting, I am trying to grow taller. No one can say I am not trying my hardest to get to the right weight. It turns out that it is really hard to gain height at 43 years old.

A homesteader should be light enough to walk over a river of cow poo, without sinking in over their boots, and heavy enough that they don't get blown away when a good windstorm comes along...

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

LOL, somebody caught it, sorry I couldn't resist.....................

As long as I'm not crossing a pasture with a bull I have to outrun, I don't really worry how fast I run. Whether I walk a mile in 15 minutes or run one in eight (or whatever is considered a good time for running a mile) is fairly irrelevant to me; my doctor told me that walking is an excellent exercise, and even the American Heart Association lists brisk walking (along with running and a few other exercises) as "More vigorous activities" for heart and lung health.

I'm 5'11 and weigh 145 pds. i am in the best shape of my life and can carry 100 pd sacks of feed on my shoulders with no problem and work 14 hour days without falling over. My body seems to work with this weight, but everyone is different. My Dh is 6"2 and 165 pds. Lean but wirey and has the endurance of an OX. We both look thin but can work circles around most people we know. I tend to pack a bit of weight on over the winter, but quickly lean out once planting season starts. We all know or bodies and can tell when we are at our 'Healthy weight". I also think the ideal weight is what we feel comfortable with.
corry

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"It is discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit." Noel Coward's Blithe Spirits

It is 100% according to how much of the weight is heart.
I was just at the doctors and he weighed me in at 109#. I am 5' 8" so that makes me skinny as a bean rail, I am dis abled but I can still throw a 94# bag of Portland cement on my shoulder and carry it where every it needs to go. As long as it isn't, like out of town or something. Before I got all the last broken bones I probably weighed in at about 120-125# and could lay 12" blocks as good as the 6'+, 200# guys could and do it all day long.
I wish I could put some weight on but it just isn't meant to be.
I got up to 137# coming out of Rangers Training years ago but they worked the dog out of us and feed us like we were kings. I would love to get back there again but it'll never happen.
But again, it's 100% according to how much of the weight is heart. I have a little body but I have a big heart.

Guess I shouldn't be a homesteader then...I'm 5'9" and a size 24. That said, I can still get feed bags where they need to go by myself, do barn chores all by myself, wrangle alpacas as needed, dig post holes, etc. I have far more endurance for doing work around the farm than my sister who is about 5'6" and is a size 2 would. My blood pressure is good and I'm healthy, except my cholesterol is a little high and the pesky blood clotting problem I have, but since that's genetic, I have no control over that.

IMHO, as long as you can do what needs to be done, does it really matter?

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Paula

homeschooling mom to 2 awesome boys, married to the man who makes all my dreams come true, and lovin' life on our little farm.

To ask how much a homesteader should weight depends on what a homesteader is. Despite many discussions here on that subject, seems there's no one answer.

One might just as well ask how much a football player should weigh. Kind of depends on your position. DaleK said he was over 300 pounds when playing. Doubt he was a wide receiver.

Usually you see what you are, and fit your position accordingly. If you're built like a bull, good for lifting, but not great for endurance. I'm wiry, and can go all day, but have to be careful with serious lifting as I can hurt something, especially as I get older.

I'm 5'5" and 130 pounds, and according to my husband, that's not quite heavy enough to weigh down the tractor disks good enough when he has me sit on them! I'm also not quite heavy enough to push in the clutch on the 60 year old tractor without standing up. So, I guess a little bit heavier than me would be ideal for a farm wife!

When I needed physical therapy for my blown disk (ruptured it either riding a horse or hauling 50 pound feed bags, not sure), the new therapist, just moved out from the city, was discussing my treatment with the local therapist, and I could overhear them. The city therapist was talking about how much excercise to start me with, and how much pull to put on the traction machine, etc.. I heard the local therapist say, "These FARM PEOPLE are remarkably strong. She'll surprise you." I got a kick out of that...like we're some seperate species or something. We don't even live on a real farm!

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Melissa
Reformed hoyden. Please forgive me if I relapse.

That's an interesting notion. How would you know whether it's hampering you or not? A person who is 20 lbs. overweight isn't really obese and is probably fully functional. But take that 20 lbs. off and they'll feel better, even though they don't currently feel bad. But what about the next 20 lbs.?

I think of weight in terms of sacks of potatoes. Someone claims, "I'm 50 lbs. overweight but I'm strong and great at tossing feed bags." But how would you feel if you could drop TWO feedbags off your shoulders instead of tossing one and leaving the other one on while you shower, sleep, and go about your daily life? I have to think that if a person is at their lowest healthy weight with good muscle mass and nutrition, they're going to be at their best physically...maybe not aesthetically, but that's up for debate too. Weight tends to take on this "least worst" aspect, which is curious.

Very easy for me. My weight has varied between 150 and 220 within the last 8 years, so I have plenty to base my notions on. When I weighed 150, I controlled that weight mostly through diet but was pretty sedentary. 50 lbs heavier (I lost about 20 lbs when I started walking) and a lot more active, I know for a fact that I can walk longer and lift more weight for a longer time than I could back then.