Healthy Gardening - A Workout with Delicious Benefits

by Eva Martinez
(California, USA)

You know the sore calf muscles, achy back, and burning biceps you feel after a long day of healthy gardening? While your pain killers and heating pads may indicate otherwise, these are actually fantastic benefits that your hobby is providing you with.

While gardening fills you with a sense of pride and accomplishment along with giving you amazing food, it also gives you the physical exercise that so many people are lacking these days. So the good news is; if healthy gardening is a regular part of your life, you can ditch the treadmill for a trowel.

A Three-In-One Workout

Healthy gardening is a triple whammy of sorts since it provides all three types of exercise; strength, flexibility, and endurance. Did you ever think you were working on all of these things as you planted your prized peppers?.

Because healthy gardening is in fact, a workout, it needs to be treated like one. Health professionals advise stretching your muscles before gardening just like you would before hitting the gym. This will keep the sore muscles to a minimum and help increase your flexibility. You also need to make sure that you are gardening for a long enough time to reap the physical benefits without working so much that you over do it. 30-60 minutes is what is advised; whether you have accomplished everything or not.

Be sure to allow yourself to rest if you feel sore or tired—overworking your muscles can be even more detrimental than not working them enough. Be sure to drink plenty of water and keep yourself hydrated—the key is to remember that you are working out, whether you realize it or not, and your body has needs that need to be met.

A Family Affair

With childhood obesity rates at an all-time high, what better way to get your kids or grandkids moving than by involving them in your hobby? Healthy gardening is something that kids of all ages can appreciate and enjoy. Their initial reaction may not be the most enthusiastic, but once they see (and taste) the benefits of their own hard work, you’ll find it hard to keep them out of the garden.

Allow kids to choose what they would like to plant—if possible, even provide them with a small gardening space that is all their own. Children love playing in the dirt, and they certainly love feeling independent—healthy gardening offers both.

The best part is that if they are having fun and think it’s a game, they won’t even realize that they are getting a workout. The exercise is essential for their growing bodies, and gardening will also provide them with the incentive to eat healthy foods as well.

Exercise Should Not Equal Dread

Just because you have now found out that your healthy gardening hobby is a workout does not mean you should begin dreading it like you would a 6 mile run at 4:00 in the morning. Keep enjoying your garden and work in it when you want to. Many people have enjoyed gardening their whole lives without even realizing that they were actually getting their workout in at the same time.

Making your garden a regular routine will help you get the most out of the workout, but it is certainly not mandatory. Any exercise is better than none, so keep doing what works for you and enjoy the fact that when you are healthy gardening, your body is thanking you.

Healthy Gardening - A Workout with Delicious Benefits

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