Gardening for Health and Benefit

Everyone knows that regular exercise is good for you, but did you know that you can get physically fit and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time? You can spend quality time getting to know the Earth, and getting it to work for you, all while getting a good workout in the Process.

If you have a bit of yard space, or perhaps a nature trail nearby, there is an opportunity to better yourself and the Earth literally waiting in your backyard. Gardening for fitness is cheap, rewarding, and can even pay you back for your effort with food, health, and stress reduction.

Going to the gym can be expensive, not to mention all the fossil fuels wasted in driving there. With a bit of time, effort, and imagination, you can turn basic yard work into a mind-body workout. Let me illustrate a few ideas on how to turn your time outdoors into a routine.

Warm Up

For a gardening warm-up, I suggest stretching. Roll your shoulders, bent down and touch your toes. Stretch out your calves. Make sure that most of the cricks are out, because gardening, without the proper form and technique, can be a strain to the back and joints. Take a shovel or rake and lift it above the head to gently stretch the arms and shoulder sockets.

Exercises

There are so many push and pull, squat and bend exercises in gardening, be creative and you'll start seeing exercises everywhere. There's always a place where you can work your muscles. Keep a Pilates or Yoga mindset, and don't think too hard. Remember, this is as much an exercise in stress relief and beautifying the planet as a fitness routine.

1.) Try squatting (with a flat spine and abdominals engaged to protect your back) when you pick up flats of plants.

2.) Work your biceps with the gardening shears or lifting bags of trimmings.

3.) A wheel barrel can be a full-body workout since it involves lifting and pushing. Give the kids or the dog a ride and have some fun!

4.) Shoveling is very aerobic, but make sure to bend from the waist so that you don't strain your back.

5.) Taking out a jump rope and taking short 5 minute cardio breaks will really up the intensity, as can hula-hooping or prolonged digging.

6.) Always make sure to stretch afterwards, and take a moment to appreciate your hard work. As a gardener, you get the instant reward of seeing your yard be transformed. You're making order out of chaos, beautifying your world. Take a Zen moment to sit and enjoy.

A book I would recommend to jump-start your progress is "Garden Your Way To Health and Fitness" by Bunny Guinness and Jacqueline Knox. There is much more information

about injury prevention, and exercise plans. Be creative, and you can incorporate more Green Fitness into your everyday life.