Gardening for Fitness...

I saw that this month's edition of Coast Magazine was devoted to health and fitness. I'm not much of a runner and hate working out in the weight room. But hey - I get a fair amount of exercise through a number of daily gardening activities.

As a gardening enthusiast, you've probably spent many hours reading and researching about how to produce a healthier, more beautiful garden. But have you ever thought about how gardening can produce a healthier you?

Gardening is a great alternative to traditional exercise because it incorporates elements of accepted exercise routines while enabling you to engage in an enjoyable activity in the privacy of your own surroundings.

Research shows that gardening for 30-45 minutes most days of the week has significant health benefits, such as decreasing the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes, as well as contributing to healthier bones, muscles and joints. Elements of gardening such as digging, weeding, trimming shrubs and mowing the lawn can have the same energy requirements as other physical exercise activities such as walking, cycling, swimming and aerobics.

Not only can landscape gardening help you physically, it can provide the satisfaction of a beautiful yard to enhance your home or fresh fruits and vegetables to enjoy at the dinner table. So consider your gardening time as an opportunity to get a healthier yard and a healthier you!