Stay healthy with activity in the garden
If you enjoy gardening, it is great to know that the work you are doing for your plants is helping you to stay healthy. According to Dr. Steven Blair, a noted professor of Kinesiology, just a half hour of gardening, five days a week, lowers risk of heart disease and some forms of cancer, and improves your strength and balance to counter aging changes. Or you can combine your garden work into several hours on the weekend, as long as your total is 150 minutes per week. The calories you burn will help you maintain a healthy weight, and for many of us, the enjoyment of playing in the dirt is a way to keep your mental health in good shape as well.
Many of our garden chores are comparable to biking, hiking, or brisk walking. Someone of average stride length will take about 4,000 steps in an hour while walking about while working in the garden. Typical tasks such as weeding and raking can burn up to 300 calories an hour, while more strenuous activities like hoeing and pushing a wheelbarrow can burn up to 400 calories per hour, the equivalent of jogging at 5 mph or moderate cycling. If you are digging, raking, or pushing a hand mower, you are improving your cardiovascular fitness, and if you are lifting pots or soil, digging with a spade, or spreading mulch, you are building bone and muscle. Even the lighter tasks like pruning can utilize our fine motor skills and keep our arm and hand muscles toned.
It is important to realize that we need to warm up our bodies for gardening, just like with other strenuous activities. Ten minutes of walking or carrying tools out at the beginning of the workday can loosen up the body in preparation for working. And after a lot of leaning or lifting it is especially important to stretch out our muscles. Make sure to stretch again at the end of your chores. Tips on avoiding strain include rotating tasks every 15 minutes, monitoring your posture, and lifting with your legs rather than your back.
The University of Arkansas Extension offers suggested stretches as part of their AgrAbility program that include shoulder shrugs, wrist and forearm stretches, back and hip stretches, and other exercises that you can do in just 12 minutes. They note that just 4 minutes of stretching before, during, and after your garden activities will keep you less tight and prevent stiffness.
Seniors in particular should pay attention to good body mechanics while gardening. Make sure to use a garden cart or wheelbarrow to carry heavy items and tools. Use knee pads or a gardening seat to take pressure off of your knees and, to limit back strain, kneel only on one knee with the other foot on the ground in front of you. Work in shorter windows of time with frequent breaks, especially as you get into your 80s, when one to two hours per session should be enough. Set a timer!
Gardening is so rewarding that it’s nice to know that it is good for you, too!
This article by UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County Kitty Stewart originally appeared in the summer issue of Around Here magazine.
Bring any of your gardening questions to the UC Master Gardeners of El Dorado County. Submit a survey and the Master Gardener volunteers will get back to you during their office hours!