Working Out in Your Garden

Your garden is not only an oasis of colour, growth and fragrance, it’s a great outdoor fitness centre. Digging with your spade, pulling weeds, raking, mowing and lifting bags of soil strengthen your arms, abdominal muscles, glutes and lower back. Your pursuit of a green thumb also offers an opportunity to increase bone density, flexibility and coordination.

Christine White, kinesiologist and personal trainer at Fit City For Women in Vancouver, says that gardening benefits Squats strengthen thighs (photo by Jon Wood)are similar to a moderate yoga class. Digging, raking and mowing burn calories—the amount depends on body weight and intensity. (For estimations, see www.caloriecontrol.org)

Like any physical activity, gardening requires preparation, advises White. Injuries can occur by doing too much too soon. Her advice? Commit to the warm-ups and cool-downs in addition to in-garden exercises. Stretching can reduce chances of injury, pain or stiffness. Be aware to lift with your thighs, keeping your back straight. Another tip: avoid remaining in one position for more than fifteen minutes.

Warm Ups/ Cool Downs

Before and after digging into your flowerbeds or vegetable garden, try these exercises.

Torso Rotations: Bend knees slightly. Keeping hips stable, slowly rotate upper body from the hips. 30-60 seconds.

Arm Circles: Straighten arms out at your sides. Slowly make small circles in one direction for 30 seconds, gradually increasing the size of the circle for 30-60 seconds. Change direction.

Quad stretch: Use a railing or wall for support with one hand. Bend one leg. Pull the bent foot towards glutes until you feel a stretch. Hold for 30 seconds. Switch legs.

Strengthening Exercises

Breathe in some fresh air, soak up the sun, and intersperse mowing the lawn or weeding with some toning and power-boosting moves.

Squat: Stand with your back against a wall, legs hip-width apart. Slowly lower your body until you’re almost “seated.” Hold. Slowly raise your body. Your knees should not go over your toes. Repeat 10 times.

Challenge: Try this away from a wall. Raise your arms or lift a watering can as you squat.

Kneeling Superman: On all fours, position your hands directly below your shoulders and knees below your hips. Stretch one leg out straight behind you. Keep hips parallel with the ground. Hold for 5-30 seconds. Breathe. Lower leg. Switch to opposite leg, then to one arm at a time.

Challenge: Extend right arm and left leg (about the same height as your body). Hold for 5-30 seconds. Release. Switch to opposite arm and leg. Repeat five times.

Toe Raises: Push a long-handled shovel into the earth and hold it with one hand for balance. Stand with feet slightly apart and tighten the muscles in calves, thighs and buttocks as you go up on your toes. Rise up and down for a count of 20. Relax. Repeat.

Ab Contractions: As you push the mower, extend a rake or dig into a garden bed, simply contract your stomach muscles, pulling navel toward spine. Count to five. Relax. Repeat five times.

Try to increase repetitions as the season continues. Observing your own improved strength, flexibility and coordination will be just as satisfying as observing the growth of your herbs, flowers and vegetables.