Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Landscape, Gardening Chores And Your Health

By Steve Grenny

Gardening is usually thought of as just a way to grow beautiful plants and great tasting fruits and vegetables. Most of us have never considered the immense amounts of exercise one can get in the process of gardening.

You might be asking yourself, how much exercise can really be gained from gardening? When you begin to think about all of the work that goes into preparing a garden you come to the realization that gardening can be quite rigorous. From digging holes to pulling weeds, a lot of exercise can occur from daily gardening.

You may dread exercise. In fact, you may hate the gym and despise the sight of a treadmill. But if you are into gardening you can relax. You can have fun gardening and still get a great workout. The best thing about getting your exercise from gardening is that while you are toning your body you also get to reward yourself with the outcome of your gardening.

Because gardening can be strenuous make sure you stretch before working that green thumb. Many gardeners make the mistake of spending too much time hunched over. This is very bad for your back. Many times in the garden you will be lifting potting soil and other heavy objects. That's why it's imperative that you stratch so as not to hurt yourself.

One of the best exercises in the garden is weeding and pruning. You will burn a ton of calories pulling those weeds. You should be careful to take breaks if you are bending over all day.

Another great exercise opportunity waits just next to the garden; mowing the lawn. If you are using a push mower you will really feel the burn. After an hour of pushing the mower through the lawn you will begin to notice the workout that you have given to your legs, arms and chest. If you have self-propelled mower, try not using the self-propelling option a couple of times a month. The act of pushing a lawn mower is great cardio workout as well.

There you have it. Who says you have to join an expensive gym to get a good workout. You can get all of the exercise you need right outside your front door. - 15343

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