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You don’t need an expensive gym membership to get fit – just your garden. It’s perfect if you want to lose weight and build up your stamina. Make a commitment to get outside for a couple of hours a week for the gardener’s workout.
Gardening is a great way of keeping fit and active, both physically and mentally. It’s great to know such a popular hobby is also fantastic for your health and wellbeing.
Mowing and digging
According to nutritionists at Loughborough University, mowing, digging and planting for two to three hours can help burn off up to one pound a week.
And 10 to 20 minutes a day in the garden will help top up vitamin D levels in your system and improve your mood by lowering stress levels. Among other things, vitamin D can help reduce cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease and type 2 diabetes.
The study also found that in general, gardening improves mood and cuts anxiety and depression. Being outside, doing something emotionally satisfying and physically tiring helps produce feel-good endorphins and reduce stress.
Body benefits
Gardening gives all major muscle groups a good workout, including your legs, arms, buttocks, stomach, neck and back. Some experts believe gardening can burn up to 300 calories an hour.
Another study in the American Journal of Public Health looked at 200 active gardeners comparing them to non-gardening folk. Female gardeners were 46% less likely to be overweight than non-gardeners. The percentage was even higher for men – 62% per cent less likely to be overweight than non-gardening men. Male gardeners weighed 16lb less and women 11lb less than their non- gardening counterparts.
Healthy eating
And none of this takes account of the added benefits of growing and eating your own fruit and veg!
Carrots, strawberries and tomatoes are all high in beta-carotene – a natural chemical in their red-orange pigments that converts to vitamin A in the body.
They are known by nutritionists as happy fruit because they boost your immune system and are easy to grow.
Getting started
Remember to pay attention to your body and exertion levels. The gardener’s workout is like any exercise. Have a stretch before you get started and try not to do too much at once.
Make sure you drink plenty of water, especially if it’s a hot day, and take regular breaks. Mind your back too – lift using your knees rather than bending your spine.
If you’re like me, the excitement of gardening itself gives you a lovely feeling, and you won’t notice you’re exercising!
Just don’t overdo it. Losing weight should combine a calorie-controlled diet with physical activity. But it’s so much nicer when it includes creating a beautiful outdoor space.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
