Most people go to work to get paid — and then go somewhere else to get fit. This Labor Day salute is to men and women who get paid for their workouts.

        If you'd like to burn more calories during your day, here's some occupations that might do the job for you.

Roofer

        Meet Tom Drinnen, 52, a roofing foreman for Zero Breeze Co. in Clifton.For 27 years, he's been tearing off roofs and putting on new ones. It's “a lot of physical work, a lot of lifting . . . some of these (old roof) pieces take four men to lift them. Then putting the tar down on the roof, you're swinging a mop back and forth all day long that may weigh 50 pounds,” he says.

        His most memorable workout? “The University Hospital roof. It had a platform built about 40 inches above it where all their mechanical equipment was kept. And it had a lightweight fill poured on top of the concrete deck that had to be jack-hammered out.

        “So it was all day long on your hands and knees, underneath these units with jackhammers, in an area of probably 100 by 200 feet.” The job took about two months.

        Mr. Drinnen assesses his fitness this way, “I think I'm in pretty good shape for 52 . . . I weigh what I weighed when I got out of high school. I'd like to gain 10 pounds but I just can't put it on. . . . You have to be in good shape physically. Endurance is the key thing in roofing, I think.”

Tree climber

        Gary Dewees, 32, of Amelia, has been a tree climber for Van the Tree Man and Son since he was 18. Mr. Dewees says everything in his job requires fitness.

        “Handling the saw (about 10 pounds) feels heavier when you are up in a tree using it all day. I can climb anywhere from one tree a day to 50 trees (depending on how big they are). The tallest tree I've ever climbed was about 130 feet.”

        And there are definite fitness benefits, he says.

        “I don't watch my weight. I eat all day long. It doesn't matter what I eat . . . And you live longer. My dad (Van) is 72 years old. He's been doing this for 47 years and he's still working.”

Mail carrier

        Michael Davis, 23, delivers mail in the Clifton area. His truck hauls his mail only 20 minutes of the work day. The other six hours he walks a route of 4 to5 miles.

        His most challenging workout is walking those neighborhood hills with a mailbag that weighs 70 pounds.

        “You pretty much have to be in good shape when you start,” he says.

Police officer

        It's more than just another day on a bike for John Mendoza, 39.

        “Everything I do in my job requires fitness,” says the Cincinnati uniform patrol bike officer. “You do a tremendous amount of peddling. District 4 is strung out, a very long district, and you can put in 15 or 20 miles in one day on that mountain bike going from run to run.

        “And there are an awful lot of hills. The furthest I've ever gone on a dispatched run is from the Court House downtown to the intersection at California and Reading. I was the only person who was able to get up there and respond at the time.”

        The equipment officers wear weighs from 25 to 30 pounds. When asked if he is fit, Officer Mendoza replies, “These guys (other officers) think I'm pretty fit.”

        But his advice for civilian bikers is to also work on upper body strength.

        “If somebody thinks they're fit just because they ride the bike, well, that's a lot of lower strength and cardiovascular, but what about upper body strength? . . . We have a weight room (here) and it's used pretty much.”

Delivery woman

        Carla Walker of Forest Parkstands 5 foot tall next to her United Parcel Service delivery truck. On an average day she picks up or delivers 478 packages — which can weigh up to 70 pounds — in 95 stops. How does she do it?

        “I'm a strong woman," she admits. “I'm in shape.”

        Is she tired at the end of the day? “Not any more. I was my first six months maybe. . . . I have a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old. I bike ride with my children, and walk . . . but this is my workout.”

Fence installer

        For the last 15 years, James Gessner, 38, has been digging holes, carrying lumber, tearing out old fencing, mixing cement, and installing new fence for Mills Fence Company.

        “I (generally) carry four 4-by-4 or nine 2-by-4 posts, depending on the distance. If I've got to walk a couple of hundred feet I'll probably knock it down to six.

        “Digging holes is the most physically demanding thing I do, especially if you're doing it by hand and going through rock and roots and swinging spud bars and diggers (which weigh about 30 pounds).”

        Summer is fencing's busy time, with the work day typically from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and occasionally Saturdays.

        “A lot of high school kids come in to work in the summer and it wears them out,” Mr. Gessner adds. “They look forward to going back to school in August.”

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