Having a garden in your own backyard (or front yard) has countless benefits. From giving you a great excuse to get outside and soak up some essential vitamin D each day, to harvesting your own produce. Planting your own garden and tending to it regularly, is a wonderful way for homeowners to support their weight loss goals.
#1 Gardening Fitness is a Real Thing
While we often think about daily exercise as going to the gym or hopping on the treadmill for a run, gardening comes with its own host of fitness benefits. By tending to your garden, you can get in a serious workout without much thought..
Simple gardening tasks like planting, digging, and even weeding can help work up a good sweat and burn some calories (up to 300 calories per hour to be exact.) That’s pretty impressive for basic gardening tasks.
So, get out there and get the tedious chore of weeding done and count it towards your daily movement goal.
#2 Plant Veggies, Fruits, Herbs, and Spices
Speaking of planting, why not spice things up a bit and plant some of your favorite herbs, spices, fruits, and veggies? Not only does the act of gardening count as calories burned, having a veggie or herb garden in your backyard will make it more readily accessible to eat healthy.
Simply go in the yard, pick what’s ripe, and add your selections to your favorite recipes. Plus, you’ll save yourself some cash at the grocery store, so it’s a win-win.
Some delicious and easy to grow options include:
- Mint
- Basil
- Leafy Greens
- Zucchini
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Radishes
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Strawberry
#3 Use Lawn Mowing Day to Your Advantage
Mowing the lawn certainly isn’t everyone’s favorite task, but as a homeowner, it’s something many have to tend to often — possibly even weekly in the warmer months. However, there is a bright side. Using a push lawn mower is actually a great way to get a good sweat in and burn additional calories.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, a 155-pound person will burn about 167 calories per 30 minutes of mowing the lawn with a push mower. Not too shabby!
#4 Use Gardening as an Outlet For Stress Relief
Stress can do a number on our health, and research suggests that gardening may help reduce stress, which is a key part of successfully keeping weight off long-term.
Studies also suggest that stress increases cortisol and can cause weight gain, giving us one more good reason to find time to fit stress-relief into our daily lives.
Enter the power of gardening. The simple act of getting outside, breathing in the fresh air, and working in your garden may do wonders for both your mental and physical wellbeing.
#5 In the Cooler Months, Make Raking the Leaves Part of Your Fitness Routine
During the fall months when the leaves begin to fall, use raking them to your advantage.
You can burn up to 240 calories per hour, and it’s also a great way to focus on tightening up that core as you stabilize yourself and get those arms working.
So, don’t dread the cooler temperatures where regular raking often comes with owning your home. Instead, embrace it as an opportunity to get your body moving!
Tidy Up Your Garden While Taking Care of Your Health
Not only is gardening a great way to unwind, relax, and beat stress, it may also help you burn calories and support your weight loss efforts.
The best part? There’s no rules. Just get outside and get into your garden. Gardening doesn’t require a specific number of sets (like lifting weights) or specific cardio moves. So, enjoy your time doing something beneficial to your mind and body and get a good calorie burn, without even thinking about fitness.
