BRAND FITNESS       778-726-0590
Brand Fitness
  • Home
    • Start Now
    • ONLINE Programs
    • Brand Fitness on YouTube
  • Services
    • Small Group Training
    • Personal Training
    • Specialty Classes >
      • ZUMBA®
    • Online Training
    • InBody Scan
  • Schedule
  • Shop
    • ZYIA Active
    • Marion's Picks
  • Blog
    • Recipes
  • Contact Us
    • Testimonials
    • Join our Team

Get in Shape for Gardening

4/14/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Get in Shape for Gardening - Marion Brand
Get in Shape for Gardening ...
 How Working Out Can Help You in the Garden

It's that time of year when we're getting back to the garden.  As a trainer, I see many clients with achy muscles, or worse yet, injuries from their weekend of gardening.  Don't let this be you!  Be mindful of your movements and positioning while gardening.
​
I have a story about Amanda, who loves gardening in her backyard.
 
“I find it meditative, and I can leave all my worries behind me,” says Amanda, 59, an administrator in a law firm.
 
But a couple of years ago, painful arthritis began getting in the way of her favourite hobby – which requires stamina, flexibility and strength. Since exercise can relieve arthritis pain, Amanda joined a fitness studio for small group training sessions a year ago.
 
Now, not only is she strong and ready for gardening’s rigors, but she also enjoys nightly walks and occasional runs – and has dropped 70 pounds, a third of her weight!
 
Amanda learned what health professionals and countless gardeners have known for decades: Gardening is a good workout that also helps maintain joint function, relieve stiffness, and improve balance and endurance. It also fights depression, provides vitamin D, and provides an outlet that can be social and creative.
 
Gardening is a good workout

If you think gardening doesn’t qualify as exercise, think again.  An hour can burn up to 300 calories.  And it’s a full-body workout -- bending over to pick up pots, squatting to pull up weeds, pushing wheelbarrows, raking, and carrying items, some of them heavy. 
 
Come talk to us about getting your strength, endurance and agility ready for gardening. You don’t want to injure yourself in the yard; lower back and knees are the most common sore spots.
 
Pursuing “functional fitness” is a great strategy for many, mimicking the same movements performed in real-life activities, like gardening. Sometimes it’s best to exercise in a gym, but you also can get a great workout at home, once you know what to do.  Even better, get the help in my programs at  BRAND FITNESS or with our online programs at www.brandfitness.online

Here are some common exercises for gardeners:
  • Squats
  • Push-ups
  • Deadlifts
  • Lunges
  • Planks
  • Single-arm rows
Also important is stretching after, deep breathing, taking frequent breaks and remembering to drink plenty of water.
 
How it compares to other activities

If you’re still not convinced that gardening is exercise, here is the word from the National Institute of Health. Gardening for 30 to 45 minutes gives the same moderate-intensity benefits as playing volleyball for 45 to 60 minutes, walking 1.75 miles in 35 minutes, and shooting baskets for half an hour.

Our friend James learned that the hard way last summer when he visited his mother.  He’s no gardener, and when he saw that tall weeds had overtaken his mom’s flowerbed, he decided to take care of it for her.
 
“I thought it would be a quick, easy job,” he recalls with a laugh. “But I found out otherwise. My back was sore, my arms were sore, I was sweating like I was on the treadmill – and I had barely made a dent in the flowerbed!”  ... James ended up organizing a three-man crew to finish the job!

Is it time for you to get in shape for gardening?
 
Marion Brand
www.brandfitness.ca
www.brandfitness.online


Sources: National Institute of Health, WebMD, P. Allen Smith Garden Home
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author:
    Marion Brand

    FAI Functional Aging Specialist
    BCRPA Personal Trainer

    fitfabafter50.com
    marionbrand.com

    Categories

    All
    Fitness
    Fitness Over 50
    Group Training
    Health
    Healthy Eating
    Pound Rockout Wrkout
    SurfSET®
    Training
    TRX®
    TRX®
    Zumba®
    Zumba®

    Archives

    September 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    January 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

Personal Training | Langley
Small Group Training | Langley
Fitness for Older Adults | Langley
Baby Boomer Fitness | Langley
Fitness over 50

Schedule
Registration
BOOK a Session


​
Personal Training | Surrey
Small Group Training | Surrey
Fitness for Older Adults | Surrey


Specialty Classes
YOGA
POUND Rockout Workout
Recipes
Newsletter

​
Recipe BLOG
Fitness BLOG
BRANDFit 50 BLOG
Health - ISAGENIX

Testimonials
Write a Testimonial
Refer a Friend
Careers

Contact Us
Picture

LET'S CONNECT

Please feel free to CONTACT US

  BRAND FITNESS   |  778-726-0590 (ext 0)
copyright 2022 Brand Fitness / Privacy Policy


* Individual Results may vary.  Brand Fitness recommends that you consult with your physician before beginning this or any exercise program. This site offers health, fitness and nutritional information and is designed for educational purposes only.

PRIVACY POLICY:  Your privacy is very important to us.  We do not share information with other parties.  Any email addresses & phone numbers received through this website are strictly to communicate information back to you, which can be opted out at anytime.