Whether you workout in the gym, walk regularly, or expend energy gardening, you’re staying active and getting exercise. When you garden, you get a full-body workout. You can also grow beautiful flowers, delicious fruits and vegetables, or fragrant herbs. All of these things add to your mental and physical well-being. You can make your workout as easy or hard as you wish, based on your fitness level. You don’t need much space, garden in containers, and add to your fitness program.
Build strength no matter how you garden.
Are you doing container gardening or going full dirt mode with a large plot of land? Either way, you have things to lift and digging to do. The larger and more “earthy” the garden, the more you’ll work your arms, back, and legs. Whether you turn the soil with a shovel or carry the soil in a bag to fill a pot, you use your muscles. That builds strength. Are you just growing a small garden of flowers around your front porch? Don’t forget the bags of mulch to load in the cart at the store, put in and remove it from your vehicle, and finally put it around your plants.
Get a cardio workout!
Your ambition and speed determine the amount of cardio you get. If you’re raking leaves or trimming plants, are you moving fast, taking breaks infrequently, or going slower and stopping more often? How long can you shovel before you quit? Are you breathing hard? It boosts your endurance. If you use a push mower, whether it’s motorized or not, you’ll get cardio. A manual push mower will provide the most.
Work on functional fitness.
Gardening helps keep you flexible. You’ll bend to weed, shovel, plant, and transplant your garden bounty. If you love doing squats or touching your toes, you’ll find gardening invigorating. Bending, twisting, and squatting are all part of the effort. Weeds don’t care if you didn’t create a comfortable bed for them, they crowd in everywhere, normally in spots that aren’t easy to reach. All of the various twists and turns build your flexibility.
- You’ll improve your balance, whether turning the soil or gardening in containers. You’ll improve your core strength and balance when reaching for all the plants while sitting in a squat or bent position.
- You’ll probably sweat as much when you garden as in the gym. It keeps you active. Modify your effort based on your fitness level. Don’t try to overdo it at first. Start slowly and increase your activity.
- Take a minute or two to remove your shoes and walk in the grass barefoot. It’s called grounding. It’s a technique to calm your body and mind you can’t do in a gym.
- Warm your muscles before you start gardening. It is a workout, so take a few minutes to warm your muscles to prevent pulling a muscle or becoming too sore to move the next day.
For more information, contact us today at Next Level Fitness