Leaf Raking Is Really Cross Training, Kind Of

If it takes some slight exaggeration to get the leaves up and out, is it really a such bad thing? And leaf raking, after all, is excellent training for at least one thing: more leaf raking. According to AARP,  it's also pretty good moderate exercise, one that can burn about 240 calories an hour, and one that, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, requires 4 METs. The AARP quotes Barbara Ainsworth, an exercise epidemiologist at San Diego State University, who explains that raking builds upper-body strength, as well strength in your back and stomach. Boyd Buser, associate dean of clinical affairs at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, tells readers to switch sides every ten minutes, to help balance out the stress and strain to the lower back that happens from pulling off to the side instead of directly in front of you. Ready now?