Five simple activities to help you keep fit and healthy
Did you know that there are many physical and mental health benefits of gardening? Gardening is a very relaxing pursuit and it’s also a great way of keeping fit and healthy. You’d be surprised that the simplest of tasks can actually have the biggest impact on physical health and regular gardening can do wonders for your health overall!
What better way to exercise your body and mind, here are five simple activities you can do, to help you keep fit and strong in the garden.
1. Weeding
Arguably one of the more monotonous tasks in the garden, weeding can burn between 100-300 calories per hour. This simple task can work the legs, core, arms, and shoulder muscles all at once, as a low intensity gardening task. Weed removal is an important task in any garden and is necessary in order to keep a garden healthy.
2. Digging
Digging is one of the higher intensity gardening activities. Although it is a simple task, a lot of exertion is required to see the work pay off. To get the most out exercising, try alternating your feet when pushing down into the soil and make sure to correct your form when bringing the soil on top to minimise any chance of injury. Taking these steps will engage multiple muscle groups, getting your body stronger and keeping you active.
3. Planting trees
Similarly to digging, planting trees is also a high intensity gardening activity. However, planting trees has many benefits to the environment as well as our physical health. The most notable benefit is that trees absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, so this simple task is a great way to combat climate change. As the leaves on the trees filter out toxins and pollutants from the air, like ammonia and nitrogen oxide, trees make our environment healthier. This is particularly beneficial for people with breathing problems such as asthma.
4. Planting bulbs and small plants
Planting for two-three hours can see you lose up to pound a week! This simple garden task is exercised throughout the duration of the growing season and is perfect for those who may be too busy to head to the gym. Planting small plants is also great for your health and overall mood as studies show that the small doses of microbes found in soil, can actually help to boost our immune systems and relieve stress.
5. Mowing the lawn
Did you know, just pushing your lawn mower is an efficient form of cardio exercise? When the sun is shining down, mowing the lawn is not the most tedious chore to do. This low intensity exercise will not only improve heart and circulatory function but can burn up to 350 calories per hour. To get the benefits of a high intensity workout, digging deep and pushing hard with the lawn mower can give the same pay off as exercising with a sled push at the gym!
With Irrigatia you can get the very best from your plants. Our weather responsive SMART irrigation controllers uniquely use solar power to detect the weather and alter watering according to the weather conditions.
Eco-friendly, drip irrigation can also help you save a lot of energy and all our kits use up to 90% less water than a traditional hosepipe as they use recycled rainwater.
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