Gardening Is A Great Way To Keep fFit
Its no secret that a day working out in the garden is the perfect way to boost your mood, or get a good sweat on. It is thought that by doing landscaping, moving rocks, or hauling dirt around the yard, you can burn up to 600 calories; raking and bagging up leaves burns between 350-450 calories; and general gardening (pulling out weeds, and planting flowers) burns 200-400. This is all PER HOUR – so a whole day of gardening is definitely good for your health.
The physical demand and variety of tasks makes for a good whole body work out, plus the added benefits of Vitamin D and breathing in the fresh air are good for anyone and everyone.
Gardening is also really good for your mental health – the chance to mull things over in your head, in your own time, without the pressures of daily life creeping in, which is much needed in our fast-paced modern world.
The satisfaction of achieving something, be it creating a new vege patch, or working over and re-planting the flower bed, is a great way for the body’s happy hormones (endorphins) to be produced and released around the body. That’s what gives people a bit of a gardening addiction!
There’s no doubt about it – gardening makes you happy, gardening reduces stress, and gardening can help you lose weight!
Learn How You Can Garden Safely, Without Causing An Injury
At the first sign of a beautiful day, it is easy to pop out to the garden and great straight into it with gusto. But, just like any form of exercise, it’s a good idea to warm up first. We’ve got some great whole-body stretches that are quick, easy and perfect for a pre-gardening warm up. Check out the short video on our YouTube channel.
Ten Top Tips For Avoiding Injury
In addition to a quick warm-up, we have some simple “common sense” advice , that anyone can follow:
1 – Don’t do it all at once
2 – Take regular breaks
3 – Vary the jobs
4 – Re-hydrate yourself
5 – Beware of reaching and bending
6 – Avoid heavy or awkward lifting positions
7 – Know your limit
8 – Be kind to yourself
9 – Listen to your body
10 – Less is more
For more detail download our FREE Self-help guide “Easy-peasy Tips For A Day Of Successful. Safe Gardening” from the patient resources section.
