Gardening as exercise for staying healthy with age

During the past decade, we have witnessed unprecedented advances in medical knowledge and technology. For example:

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

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.
Dr. Dennis Lee, founder of MedicineNet.com offers these suggestions:

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, www.nationalgardening.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content, www.aracontent.com, e-mail: info@aracontent.com

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Can Gardening Improve Your Health?

Weed Away Your Weight

Dig for Your Bones

The Fruits of Your Labor