Can I Lose Weight Through Gardening?

Gardening hobbyists usually enjoy the activity because of the produce they get after putting in long hours of back bending pruning, seeding, planting and watering their plants. They will either harvest beautiful flowers, or tasty, fresh fruits and vegetables. However, there are some who love gardening because of the way it has helped them stay healthy through the exercises that they get daily, just by keeping their gardens well maintained.

In fact, most people who had lost several pounds by spending hours improving their gardens will tell you that it is a far more enjoyable exercise than a day in the gym. After all the gardening activities one has to do are varied, from lifting pots, digging soil, mowing the grass, doing some carpentry here and there. When one is done at the end of the day, it's definitely equivalent to more than several hours of working out in a gym.

Each activity can actually tone one group of muscles, much like what one does with a series of weight lifting exercises in the gym. So, like any other work out, make sure that you also do some warming up exercises, which you can easily do by doing some simple stretching out. Remember to stretch even in between each task, as when you're hunched over for periods of time, you will feel some tension in your back muscles, which is not really a good sign.

When you're doing some weeding or pruning, you're actually exercising the legs a good deal. If you have to pull weeds that are over resistant on a regular basis, you would notice your arm muscles getting toned. Make sure that you switch arms from time to time so as not to overwork just your right or your left arm muscles.

Obviously, when you are lifting bags of soil or compost from one end to another, you are also exercising both your arms and legs. Make sure that you lift using your legs and not with your back. When you're using your lawn mower, you are also toning your chest, shoulder, back and arm muscles. Because of the amount of walking that you have to do around your garden, you are actually doing some cardiovascular activity, which by itself is already a great way to burn some pounds.

Yes, for sure you can use gardening to lose weight or to stay in shape. However, make sure to do some stretches before any activity and drink a lot of water. Take a good rest when you feel tired and remember to put on some sunscreen to protect your skin. You may also need to be careful about pulling muscles, so try to get into a regular routine that is not too strenuous, but just enough to get your heart pounding.

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