Chopping firewood is many men’sfavourite chore. And there are, of course, a bunch of practical reasons to split wood, the number one reason being to provide a source of heat for your home if you use a woodstove. Secondary to that would be the desire to have campfires, bonfires, or other types of outdoor fires for pleasure, or even using a wood burning cookstove in your home.
But why split wood by hand when you can rent, buy, or build a log-splitter? Well, let’s take a look at some of the benefits to body and mind of chopping firewood.
Chopping Firewood is Great Exercise
When you chop firewood with hand tools like axes and splitting mauls, you put several different muscle groups to work.
Your shoulders, arms, and chest get a great workout swinging the axe and picking up the wood you’re working on. I have very “un-girly” (but totally cool) forearm and bicep muscles to offer as proof of that.
Your legs and gluteals also get a good workout, because if you’re chopping properly you should be using your legs to generate power in your swing.
And then there’s everyone’s favourite muscle group to work on: the abdominals. When you swing an axe, you pull downward using your stomach muscles all the way. The axe should go straight down the middle of your body to get the best workout, and more importantly to avoid back injury. Chopping firewood is kind of like doing a bunch of crunches standing up – only a lot less boring. This works your obliques too. After a long morning or afternoon of chopping wood, I feel the muscle fatigue in my abs more than anywhere else.
If you keep chopping wood, you can build definition in your shoulder and upper back muscles as well.
Chopping Firewood is a Great Stress Reliever
Have you ever been so mad that you wanted to break something, but not mad enough to actually do it? Do you have a certain co-worker or family member that you sometimes wish you could just smack in the face?
I’m certainly not advocating such behaviours, but what I will advocate is that chopping wood is an awesome stress reliever, and just about the best outlet for frustration that I’ve ever found.
During any activity that requires exertion, chopping wood included, your body produces and releases endorphins and adrenaline – both feel-good chemicals! After chopping, once you’ve exerted yourself and spent some energy, you get a little tired and can finally relax from your stresses.
If you’re angry, frustrated, or just having a bad day, I’d suggest picking up your axe and splitting some firewood. You get to participate in a process that is simultaneously destructive and creative: you’re dismantling part of a tree, for heaven’s sake, but you’re also making firewood, something useful.
Chopping Firewood Builds Self-Confidence
I’m not sure if chopping wood has the same confidence-building effect on men as it does on women, but I have a hunch that it can’t hurt. From personal experience, I can tell you that it does a lot for the self-confidence of a young woman. Who’s going to mess with me when I’m toting an 8-pound splitting maul, with a blade that I sharpened by hand with a file?
Original Article Posted: https://discover.hubpages.com/health/Health-Benefits-of-Chopping-Firewood
