Welcome to Hobby Gardening
Home Gardening Pest And Disease Control Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Home Gardening Pest And Disease Control. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Use Gardening to Get in Shape
from:While gardening is usually thought of as a productive way to grow beautiful plants and obtain tasty fruits and vegetables, few gardeners have ever considered the immense amounts of exercise one can get in the process of gardening. While you can get almost as much muscle (if not more) exercise as you do working out, it is very productive at the same time.
You may wonder how home improvement gardening could possibly give as much exercise as working out. Just think about all the various facets of preparing a garden. There are holes to be dug, bags and pots to be carried, and weeds to be pulled. Doing all of these things help to work out almost every group of muscles in your body.
My brother is a fanatic about working out. Almost every time I call his house, I end up interrupting some muscle toning activity. I've never really enjoyed working out, though, as it seems that the constant lifting of heavy things just puts a strain on my body with no immediate positive results. But while he is into working out, I am almost equally enthusiastic about gardening. I work outside improving my garden almost every day. I think I definitely surprised my brother when he realized that I am almost as muscular as he is; but I have never lifted a single dumbbell!
Before you go out into your garden, you should always stretch out. Even if your goal isn't to work out and get exercise, it's still a good idea. Often gardeners spend long periods of time hunched over or bent over. This can be bad for your back. So not only should you stretch out before hand, but you should always take frequent breaks if you're spending long amounts of time in these positions.
Weeding and pruning are some of the best workouts a gardener can get. With the constant crouching and standing, the legs get a great workout. If your weeds are particularly resistant, your arms will become particularly toned just from the effort required to remove them from the ground. If you plan on taking the whole workout think very seriously, you should always be switching arms and positions to spread out the work between different areas of your body.
One of the most obvious ways to get exercise is in the transporting and lifting of bags and pots. Between the nursery and your house, you will have to move the bags multiple times (to the checkout, to your car, to your garden, and then spreading them out accordingly). As long as you remember to lift with your legs and not your back, transporting bags and pots can give you a fairly big workout, even though you probably don't make those purchases very often.
Mowing your grass can also be a great exercise. If you've got an older mower that isn't self propelled, just the act of pushing it through the grass will give you more of a workout than going to the gym for a few hours. During the course of mowing the grass, you use your chest, arms, back, and shoulder to keep the mower ahead of you. Your thighs and butt also get worked a lot to propel the mower. Not only do you get an all around muscle work out, but it can improve your heart's health. It's good for you as a cardiovascular activity, as well as a great way to lose weight due to the increased heart rate and heavy breathing.
If you plan on using gardening as a way to get in shape or lose some weight, you can hardly go wrong. Just be sure to stretch out, drink plenty of water, and apply sunscreen. As long as you take steps to prevent the few negative effects such as pulled muscles, dehydration and sunburn, I think you'll have a great time and end up being a healthier person because of it.
Gardening-Tips Online News
Powerful quake kills at least 6 in N. Italy - CBS News
 CBC.ca | Powerful quake kills at least 6 in N. Italy CBS News (AP) SANT'AGOSTINO DI FERRARA, Italy - One of the strongest earthquakes to shake northern Italy rattled the region around Bologna early Sunday, a magnitude-6.0 temblor that killed at least six people, toppled buildings and sent residents running into ... Aftershocks rock Italy earthquake zone At least 7 dead after quake rocks northern Italy 6-magnitude earthquake hits northern Italy, at least six dead |
Nato leaders confront flagging Afghan war - Hindustan Times
 Hindustan Times | Nato leaders confront flagging Afghan war Hindustan Times AP Afghan youth play football in the evening in the city of Herat. AFP/Aref Karimi It was what President Barack Obama called a "war of necessity," a conflict thrust upon America by the 9/11 attacks. As Nato's mission winds down in Afghanistan nearly 11 ... Afghan attack kills two NATO soldiers, two children NATO says 2 service members killed 2 NATO Service Members Killed in Afghanistan |
NATO won't pay $5000 per truck to Pakistan: Panetta - New York Daily News
 Telegraph.co.uk | NATO won't pay $5000 per truck to Pakistan: Panetta New York Daily News Washington, May 20 — US Defence Secretary leon Panetta has ruled out paying Pakistan $5000 for each truck carrying supplies via its territory for NATO troops in Afghanistan. In an interview to the los Angeles Times before his arrival in Chicago where a ... Protesters prepare for anti-NATO demonstration in Chicago NATO protesters gather for Chicago rally Nato summit to discuss withdrawal from Afghanistan |
Chinese human rights activist Chen arrives in US - CNN
 Telegraph.co.uk | Chinese human rights activist Chen arrives in US CNN Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng arrived Saturday evening in the United States, bringing an end to a diplomatic firestorm that erupted after he escaped from house arrest and took to YouTube to complain about abuse he said his family ... Chinese activist in US, after 7 years on house arrest Chen Guangcheng arrives in New York Chinese activist renews call to fight injustice |