Articles on Home Gardening and Landscaping

Navigation

Featured Article

Gardening & Landscaping Articles

Organic Secrets
Gardeners, Discover The Easy Way To Save Money and Eat Healthy For Life With Organic Secrets.

Home Vegetable Gardening
A complete and practical guide to the planting and care of vegetables, fruits and berries.

Your Garden
Be The Envy Of Your Friends And Neighbours, Save Time, Effort & Money When You Discover How To Create The Ultimate Garden.

How to Lose Weight While Gardening

Have you ever dreaded the idea of pulling weeds, planting a tree, or pushing a lawn mower around the yard?

Does just thinking about it make you sweat? I am sure the majority of are nodding your heads in agreement. What I am about to suggest only takes a slight change in your thinking and a bit of planning and you can learn how to lose weight and get in better shape while gardening this year.

For those of you that are already gardeners, you know that gardening is one of the best ways to get exercise because it involves all of the muscle groups in your body.

Like I mentioned earlier, we only need to change the way you think about outside chores. See I am falling into the trap too, I just called them chores. Instead, you should think of them as outdoor exercises that are designed to enhance the condition of your body and help you lose weight.

As with any exercise program, check with your doctor before starting. Make sure you are dressed properly and that you stretch before beginning.

If you aren’t used to exercising in the garden or have been relatively inactive all winter, start slowly. Start with weeding, watering, and planting seeds.

As you feel yourself getting stronger you can increase your gardening repertoire to include: pruning, heavy digging, hoeing, pushing a loaded wheelbarrow, or mowing the lawn. I think you get the idea because the list of outdoor gardening exercise ideas is endless!

Even carrying plants or a bag of potting soil to the car from the store and then out into the yard is exercise! You can potentially burn up to 300-600 calories per hour depending on your intensity and which gardening exercises you engage in.

You CAN lose weight by gardening ~ eat less and move more! The following list shows what a typical man weighing 180 pounds will burn in 30 minutes of activity. If you weigh more you can burn even more calories!

Watering lawn/garden~ 61

Raking~ 162

Bagging leaves~ 162

Planting seeds/seedlings~ 162

Planting trees~ 182

Weeding ~ 182

Clearing Land ~ 202

Digging, spading, tilling~ 202

Laying Sod~202

General gardening~ 202

Chopping wood~ 243

Gardening with heavy power tools~ 243

Mowing the lawn with a push mower~ 243

Shoveling snow~ 243

Shoveling heavy snow~ 364 cals

Tips for your success:

1. Don’t over do it~ one or two hours of gardening is plenty, especially when you are beginning!

2. Don’t lift objects that are too heavy for you. If you injure yourself, chances are that you won’t be able to continue to garden for exercise and weight loss.

3. Stretch before, during and after gardening. Don’t stay down on your knees while weeding or planting for extended periods of time~ get up and move!

4. Get out in your garden and exercise at least 3-4 times a week.

5. Continue your outdoor exercise routine even after you last blooms have faded. Shoveling the snow, raking leaves, and splitting wood are great calorie burners that will lead to weight loss!

6. Don’t forget the added benefit of growing your own healthy fruits and vegetables and your yard will look beautiful from all of your hard work!

7. Have Fun and "Just do it"!

Once you get into the habit of viewing gardening as an excellent way to lose weight and stay in shape, you may never go back to the gym again!

About the Author

© 2005, Candee Stark and Flowers&Garden.com

This article is provided courtesy of Flowers & Garden.com - You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

Written by: Candee Stark

Recent Articles

Create Show-stopping Indoor Flower Displays
(ARA) - Many people are confused about how and when to force bulbs and think it must be much more complicated than it looks. As with any show, the key to creating a beautiful forced-bulb flower display is setting the proper stage. That starts with...

Introduction to Aquaponics
Hydroponics and aquaponics are very similar in every way except hydroponics requires the addition of fertilizer and there’s no fish in the nutrient solution. In aquaponics, plants and fish live a symbiotic life with the fish feeding the plants, and...

Tranquility In Your Own Back Yard
A garden fountain can add beauty and serenity to you yard or garden. It’s long been known that running water can aid in relaxation. The addition of a water fountain can not only add a stunning center piece to you landscape design but also improve...

American Gardener
The American Gardener provides over 150 pages of helpful gardening how to information, and tips that will help you grow plants with ease without them dying like they did on me!

Homeowners Guide To Landscaping
You can discover the joy and beauty of having a wonderfully landscaped yard with the help of Homeowners Guide To Landscaping.

gardening.ksinclair.com | Main Website | Gardening and Landscaping Books