Fitness: In Praise of Gardening

I confess. I am not a gardener. I love to look at gardens though, especially when in full bloom. I am in awe when spring blossoms forth in my own gardens, full of daffodils, crocuses, tulips and hyacinths. I briefly wonder how they got there. Then I remember, as my youngest daughter grimaces in recollection, my begging and pleading with her to help me plant literally hundreds of bulbs, before they succumb to the mold that I can see now starting on many of them; neglect brought on by their purchase many weeks before from a silent auction for charity.

Take time to enjoy life!

Despite many years of teaching fitness to all ages and fitness levels, I had not grasped the intensity required to spend many hours in the hot sun while ‘gardening’. I have strong leg muscles, but they were definitely pushed to fatigue with this day’s workout. Through rock hard ground, we continued to dig and plant those bulbs in totally random locations, at less than the recommended depth, while fighting over the few actual flowerbeds that accepted our shovels easily.

I kept thinking of my friends who would have their landscapers do this job; but mostly, I thought about the money I had spent and how I needed to get the job done, the quicker the better. I have always equated any outdoor physical activity with exercise; whether walking, biking or (shudder) gardening. I much prefer to get my exercise indoors, where I can do it fast and be done in less than one hour.

So to those of you who love to garden and don t think of it as exercise, merely your way of relaxing and escaping the stresses of everyday life, here are some of the benefits that you are enjoying. Being ‘at one’ with nature, from the sunshine to the cold wet soil you till. In terms of exercise, the number of squats and knee bends you are doing in one gardening session are super for strengthening your leg muscles. And yes, if you have knee issues, using a pad is recommended. You also get great arm work from the strength used to dig through stubborn soil and to cart around the wheelbarrow.

As you get ready to enjoy time in your gardens, I’d like to offer you some recommendations on how to prepare your body.

Strengthen your stomach muscles. Try this exercise a few times a day - HOLD your stomach in, count to three, and release. Do this while watching television, reading, standing in line at the store. Remember that strong stomach muscles help support and strengthen your back.
Strengthen your leg muscles to prepare for all the bending. You can do this by walking. Then walk some more. Walk up stairs and down, even if you have knee issues, just take it slowly.
Always use sunscreen and wear a hat; protect yourself against skin cancer.
Pace yourself - gardening is not meant to be done at warp speed
Stretch - this is the secret to every gardener’s longevity. When finished gardening for the moment, this can be done several times through a gardening session, take a few minutes to stretch all over. This includes your legs, back and arms. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds. You only need to do once.

As spring blooms open up for another year, I am thankful and frankly surprised, while feeling extremely grateful, that my bulbs did survive to brighten my gardens for another year, totally in spite of myself.

Submitted by Sue Vito, Sues’ Moves.

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