Your Personal Outdoor Gym

Who
would ever have thought that 45 minutes of gardening burns as many calories as
30 minutes of aerobics. This is because
gardening is commonly viewed as only a hobby, something fun to do in the spare
time, and not as a health benefit. But
the fact is that pottering around in the garden translates to exercises
disguised in the form of hauling topsoil, weeding, mowing and raking with our
legs, arms and shoulders. For the
gardening enthusiasts, experiencing weary muscles in the back, arms, shoulders
and legs are common symptoms after an hour or so in the garden.

Indeed,
gardening is the world's best kept exercise secret. Studies have documented that gardening is good for us in many
ways:- it is cheaper to maintain a garden than to enroll in a gym or health
club, it is a fun activity for one person or the family, it adds to the beauty
of the home, and it is essentially a healthy pastime for the body and
mind.

The
health benefits of gardening are impressive because it uses all the major
muscle groups in the human body. The
legs, buttocks, shoulders, stomach, arms, neck and back – the muscles that do
the most calorie burning – get a good workout.
In addition, gardening also increases flexibility and strengthens the
joints.

When
we take a closer look at the dynamics of gardening, we will realize that
turning compost is basically lifting weights, raking is like using a rowing
machine and pushing the mower is similar to walking the treadmill. Posthole diggers, shovels, rakes, push
mowers and wheelbarrows become the exercise machines, while the yard and garden
area become the running track. Your own
personal outdoor gym is just a few feet away and at no extra cost.

If
you require further convincing on the positive effects of gardening, recent
research has indicated that 30 minutes of daily moderate exercises such as
gardening lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, helps prevent diabetes
and heart disease, and prevents or slows osteoporosis. You may even live longer. Perhaps it is time to seriously consider
starting a mini gardenasium in the home.

How
to maximize the health benefits of gardening?
By turning fun and relaxing garden work into enriching garden exercises:

• Plan a regular gardening activity – e.g., mowing the lawn (use a push mower instead of
  a ride

• Vary the gardening activities – break up gardening chores, e.g., posthole digging
  with quiet weeding or transplanting

• Count the minutes – make sure total daily time of garden activities adds up to 30 minutes
  (each activity to last at least 8 minutes)

• Dig holes
  – digging and shoveling are big calories burners (250-350 calories per half
  hour)

• Make a compost pile – turning compost burns 250-300 calories per half hour

• Listen to the muscles – pay attention to the working muscles and exertion
  levels to minimize overuse of muscles or injuries

What
are the calories burned during some common gardening activities? The table
below gives interesting insights into the amount of calories burned during a
30-minute activity for a 180lbs person.
Do note that in general, a person who weighs more will burn more
calories than the amount shown here, while a person who weighs less will burn
fewer calories.