Renovation Workout

Home renovation HURTS. I knew this after my three day and three coats painting jag in November. My back ached so much that I refused to jump or lift anything for 2 weeks. After recovering, I forgot how much repetitive labor can hurt.

I have been scraping linoleum glue off one stair for the past three evenings. That sentence makes it sound like I toil for hours each night, but actually, I can only stand a 20-minute session before I’m ready to weep. Although I alternate hands and grips, my wrists are screaming in pain after twenty minutes.

The heat gun helps. I don’t think I could have scraped anything off without it. The glue is so tenacious that I have to use high power and hold the gun about an inch and a half from the patch I’m scraping. When I started, I was afraid of starting a fire, so I used it on low, about nine inches from the stair, and kept it constantly moving (as the manual directs). The gentle approach was completely ineffective. This is war!

On the plus side, scraping the stairs is great workout. Obviously, my arms are being worked. Unexpectedly, I am also improving on my flexibility, as I contort myself into odd positions, and my core strength, as I stabilize my body against the ferocious scraping. I work up a lovely light sweat before bed. (Yuck.)

I’ve got one stair done and one to go…I hope my body holds up.