Get out & grow for the burn
up our legs and buttocks. But If you have a manual push mower, you will work out your upper body too.
RAKING: Just raking leaves for a quarter of an hour a week works up enough of a sweat to burn 63 calories. That’s 3,276 in a year!
DIGGING: This can burn 197 calories per hour in men and 150 calories in women, depending on how long and how intensively you’re working. So swap the weight bench for a shovel.
It will activate almost every part of your body, but with more force than raking, so it is more similar to using the weight machines in the gym. Just remember to be careful not to injure yourself. Good stretching is really important before you get started.
And, like at the gym, change your gardening activities frequently. Swap jobs every 15 minutes or so if you can.
And warm down when you’re finished with more gentle stretching. exercise, we release endorphins – “happy hormones” – known to boost mental wellbeing.
Gardening is especially uplifting because it offers that exercise high.
And studies have shown humans are instinctively more at ease and relaxed outdoors because of our natural affiliation with nature.
It helps us rest our minds and allows our attention to wander freely, helping to relieve mental fatigue.
And it’s not just outside where we can reap these benefits. Active interaction with indoor plants (like touching and smelling) can reduce physiological and psychological stress.
Our brains are wired to release a beneficial chemical called dopamine when we see flowers. So colourful plants are always a winner.