Gardening For Fitness By Andy Machin

Gardening is generally thought of as a pleasant, genteel pastime to while away the hours. Though you may be surprised that time spent tending your garden can help with both your physical and cardiovascular fitness. It will not make you pumped up and buff however time spent in the garden can help to give you a general all-over workout whilst you are tending to your plants, weeding or even just cutting the grass.

Think about that for a moment. Just about any activity you take in the garden is a form of exercise. Bending down to weed and standing up again repeatedly, digging holes to plant new stuff, fetching and carrying bags of fertiliser, pushing the lawnmower around to cut the grass and all the emptying of the cuttings in to a sack to be disposed of. It's all exercise in the fresh air with the added bonus of something productive whether that be a beautifully manicured flower bed or a few vegetables for the dinner table.

As with any other form of exercise, a bit of a warm up first before you hit the garden is not a bad idea. A little light stretching to warm up the muscles and tendons you'll be using out in the garden will help to get you moving. Also, beware that the repeated bending down and squatting whilst weeding can be bad for your back so be sure to give yourself a few minutes break often to protect against stress and strain injuries associated with being in unnatural positions for long periods. Then after your warm up, get out there and hit the garden to continue your workout. Read More