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(ARA) - Turn on the television
at any time of day and you'll be bombarded with ads for pills,
powders, drinks, and exercise gizmos that promise to help you
shed excess pounds. But before you shell out $50 for the "Chub-Buster
5000," get out your gardening gloves. Better health can
be as close as your backyard.
Weed Away Your Weight
Spring and summer gardening can
be a great whole-body workout to shed extra winter weight. Weight-bearing
activities such as digging and lifting can build muscle, and
aerobic activities such as raking, mowing and hoeing can burn
calories. A 180-pound person will use 202 calories during 30
minutes of digging, spading and tilling.* Even 30 minutes of
cutting the grass on a riding mower burns 101 calories.
Other calorie burners include*
:
- Raking (30 minutes) 162
- Planting trees (30 minutes)
182
- Trimming shrubs, manually (30
minutes) 182
- Laying sod (30 minutes) 202
- Weeding (30 minutes) 182
- Turning compost (30 minutes)
250
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As with any exercise, it's important
to warm up and stretch before you begin gardening or yard work.
Vary your activities to avoid overusing specific muscles. To
prevent back injuries, bend from the knees when you rake and
hoe or when you lift heavy objects such as bags of potting soil.
You'll also want to protect yourself
from excess sun exposure. Wear a hat and use a sunscreen with
an SPF of at least 15. Drink adequate fluids to avoid becoming
dehydrated, and retreat to someplace cooler if you feel yourself
getting overheated. |
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Dig for Your Bones
There's even more good news for
green thumbs. According to a 2000 University of Arkansas study
that compared many forms of exercise, yard work is most significant
for preventing osteoporosis in women age 50 and older. Researchers
compared yard work to bicycling, aerobics, dancing and weight
training. Yard work and weight training were the only two activities
shown to be significant for maintaining healthy bone mass.
The Fruits of Your Labor The
best part of gardening may be the edible rewards. A summer's
bounty of fruits and vegetables contains fiber that may reduce
your risk for colon cancer, as well as antioxidants and phytochemicals
that may reduce your risk for heart disease and some cancers.
Fruits and vegetables are also low in fat, which can help with
weight loss. The American Dietetic Association recommends that
adults get at least three to five servings of vegetables, and
two to four servings of fruits each day.
*Source: National Gardening Association. |
