Today is National Garden Exercise Day, which means it’s time to get outside and spruce up that garden of yours! Whether you’ve started up your summer garden or not, there’s no better time than now to get it going or keep maintaining it. And the best part is, you can kill two birds with one stone by getting an exercise out of it!
Anyone that’s put in a solid day’s work in the yard knows the aches and pains that can follow the next day. Working in your garden can be exercise, whether that’s the intention or not. According to the Texas A&M Extension, weeding trimming and raking can burn off about 300 calories per hour. Choosing an activity that keeps you moving at a constant pace, like raking or hauling a wheelbarrow of mulch, can burn more. It’s important to warm up and stretch before beginning your yard work each day, in order to circumvent injuries.
There are many types of gardens to have in your yard, for example a vegetable garden, flower garden, herb garden, even a water garden! No matter what you decide to do though, you can still incorporate different practices in your gardening routine to not only keep your garden healthy but your body as well. And even if you don’t like exercising that much, doing it for your garden gives you a whole new motivation and perspective on keeping you and your garden healthy. Here are a few ways to do so:
If you want to plant a garden in your yard, one of the first and most important steps is to pick the right location for plenty of sun and good soil to foster the beginning stages of growth for your plants. If you notice any dry patches in your yard, you’ll probably have to dig it out and get rid of any dead or dry debris to then replace it with a healthy soil bag from your local store. The process of digging and pouring new soil can definitely knock out a perfect arm workout for you too!
Next, after your groundwork is ready, you’ll have to pick out the plants you want to put in your garden and space them out accordingly so there are no issues of overcrowding. The time and care you put into making sure your plants will have enough breathing room to grow properly will contribute to your overall happiness and satisfaction when your garden blooms!
After everything is set in place, now all you have to do is water! A lot of plants may require up to 2-3 times a day of watering, which can be a lot. But going outside to take of your plants and watching them grow more and more everyday will motivate you to keep going with all of the great work. You might run into some weeds in your garden, which unfortunately can be a hassle to clear out, but you can still get a workout in by doing so! It might not be the typical workout you were thinking of, but you’ll still be working those arm and leg muscles to keep your garden alive.
Use a pedometer to count your steps when working in the garden, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how fast they can add up. On the flip side of that, if you are behind on your step count for the day, consider going out to work on your garden to maximize not only your own health but peace of mind and a happy healthy garden.
And so, after a long but productive day of completing your daily tasks and taking care of your garden while getting a good workout in, you can finally relax, enjoy the beautiful view of your well-kept garden, and feel good about all the hard work and care you put in. National Garden Exercise done right!
