I try to get exercise in a variety of ways: running with the dog, cutting firewood, mowing the lawn, and gardening.  Yes, I can forgo the rowing machine and weights and get some exercise in our little garden where I grow lettuce, radishes, peas, beans, and if the weather cooperates, tomatoes.  It’s a chance to work all the major muscle groups: legs, buttocks, arms, shoulders, neck, back and abdomen and by doing so, work on strength and flexibility and burn calories.
No rototiller for me, I turn the garden over by pitchfork and shovel.  After bending, lifting and shaking sod and dandelions, I get a moderate to heavy intensity workout.  (One report says that “women doing this activity burn 150 calories in a 30 minute period, men burn 197. This activity improves muscle strength and endurance as well because a great deal of resistance is involved.”)
Besides the exertion involved, gardening has other pluses that make it a good form of exercise and calorie burning. There can be a great deal of stretching involved with gardening, like reaching for weeds or tall branches, bending to plant and extending a rake. Lifting bags of mulch, pushing wheelbarrows and shoveling all provide resistance training similar to weight lifting, which leads to healthier bones and joints. Yet while doing all this, there is minimal jarring and stress on the body, unlike aerobics or jogging.

I also look at mowing the lawn as a good workout. A disclaimer:  I don’t mow the grass until June so that my bees can enjoy the dandelions and flowering weeds.  Then, I use a push mower (power).  Mowing with a push reel mower gives a better intensity workout involving the whole body and one is in our plans.  (Women burn 181 calories in 30 minutes, men burn 236.)  Mowing with a rotary power mower like mine gives the whole body a moderate workout.  (Women burn 135 calories in 30 minutes, men burn 177.)  Riding mowers aren’t green exercise.

I don’t look at gardening -- unless you have a big plot and spend hours each week on it -- as a substitute for more vigorous aerobic workouts.  Rather, it is a supplement to your walking, cycling, swimming, or running activities and has the added benefit of producing local fresh produce for your table.  Like using a push mower instead of a rider, a rake instead of a leaf blower, and clippers instead of a weed-whacker, integrating physical activity into many activities adds up -- and becomes a low-cost way to stay fit.  When you add in the stress-reducing benefits of fresh air and sunshine - you've got a win-win-win for your budget, your body and your brain.

top photo by groxie     lower photo from dan4th

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