I love where I live.

When we first moved out to Maplewood from Brooklyn eight years ago, I forgot what it was like to have all the trees around you. On Bowdoin Street in Maplewood (like on many of our blocks) huge oak, poplar and maple trees line the streets making our little suburb even more picturesque.

I love the fall. Some of my favorite holidays (Halloween and Thanksgiving) and the arrival of football season help that fact along. And all the pretty colors as the leaves change are stunning.

But as much as I appreciate the beauty of our surrounding shade-giving friends, as soon as those beautiful multi-hued leaves begin to fall, I'm not feeling the love. Soon those golds and reds and oranges will be dull and brown and covering my yard, driveway—my entire existence. Ugh.

Well, as you know, there is no ignoring this problem. You cannot just "leave" them lying out there (no pun intended). Snow is soon to follow, and if you don't get them out to the street and scooped up by Public Works, you can write off your spring to one muddy, gunky experience. 

There is really only one choice. Grab a rake and get to work!

I've found that there are many different strategies to dealing with this seasonal nuisance. Some people are out there a couple times a week, raking them up before they can amount to much. If you've got the time, this is a great way to get yourself moving. As I'm sure you know, this is a pretty good workout. Your shoulders, arms and legs will get a fair amount of action lugging these guys out to the street.

Me, I don't have So there goes some of that football season I was enjoying…oh well. Duty calls!

For me, I've found that attacking the yard maybe three or four times per fall is enough. This way they don't pile up too high, and I can recover between my bouts with the trees (both mentally and physically). 

For most of us, a rake and a tarp will do. I recommend using a plastic tarp (using an old bedsheet will work, but it gets wet, and wet equals heavy). A plastic painting tarp glides pretty easily, and will do the job for many years. 

No matter what physical activity I'm participating in, I like to think about the proper bio-mechanics of doing the job effectively while getting some physical benefits.  Hey, it's what I do!

For starters, it's a really good idea to switch sides back and forth as you progress back and forth across your lawn. This is a simple approach to make certain your shoulders and arms get equal action. This keeps you from fatiguing as quickly, and frankly just mixes it up a bit.

Next, as the pile of leaves grows the further you go, the weight and difficulty increases as well. This is a great opportunity to incorporate more muscles to help you with the task. Every time you swipe another load further away from your increasingly pristine lawn, turn your hips in the direction you'd like the leaves to go.  Just see how much further they fly!

Now let's imagine you've gotten a fair amount on the tarp in order to drag them out to the curb…you're on your way. This is progress! But wait, let's again investigate the proper technique.  Especially as the season progresses and the haul of leaves grows. This can get to be an enormous task. Obviously, make sure you don't overdo it. An extra trip or two will actually save you some time in the long run, especially if the remainder of your task is done without a bad back.

As you grab the corners of the tarp (making sure the little buggers don't escape), turn your body in the direction you'd like to go. Bend your knees, and make sure you keep your chest arched up and shoulder blades back, maintaining tension in your upper back. This will save you from shoulder injury. Keep your knees bent as you pull the tarp to the curb. Just lean forward and drive your toes into the ground as you begin pulling the tarp. Try to keep your lower back arched up and knees bent.

Most importantly, make sure you take time to rest. Have some water. Stop and appreciate your progress. Gloat at your neighbors looking enviously at your green lawn as theirs is littered with leaves. This is hard work.  Your body needs a moment to stop and recover. You'll actually get more done if you just stop from time to time.

Just remember: this is a marathon, not a race.  You'll probably recognize that as soon as you (think you) finish and begin to notice the multitude of leaves that have already fallen on your masterpiece!

Oh, well. Round two next weekend.

Tim Reynolds is the owner/operator of THE GYM ON SPRINGFIELD, a personal training studio working towards its 4th year in Maplewood.  He lives in Maplewood with Suzanne and their two children, August and Sinikka.