Aerobic dancing, jogging, stationery cycling or weight lifting are some of the activities which come to our mind when we think of exercise. As a matter of fact nobody even ever considers gardening as exercise, but that is not correct. There is more than one benefit of gardening, you benefit by way of exercising and it helps you keep a well maintained garden. Isn’t it much better to grow plants than to sit on an exercise machine?
You may not realize but while gardening a number of muscles are exercised. It can also be called an aerobic exercise are you are doing the same thing again and again when you are weeding or hoeing.
During gardening some muscles which are not used otherwise are also exercised. The old proverb “muscles hurt that I didn’t even know I had” is very true with gardening. For complete fitness it is essential to exercise all the muscles in the body and gardening is a healthy activity to achieve it.
There is a way of making it more effective. Concentrate on the muscle you are using and make an effort to emphasize on the movement. For example if you are bending and making holes to put in seeds you can do it with more effort and keep down for a longer time. Keep doing the actions for some time.
You can lift up the hoe higher and swing it a little more when you put it in the garden. It is a good idea to be aware of the muscles you are using to do the job, and also change the actions as far as possible every day. Stretching before you start gardening will save you from injuring the muscles. You will be able to see a change in the way you look as well as feel, after you have been gardening for some time.