Combining gardening with exercise for a fit figure

Interesting ideas

Growing fruits and vegetables at your garden not only saves money but also improves your health. Gardening is a muscle workout, just like working out at the gym. And don't forget, you're always outdoors. Instead of dusty, muddy surfaces, your lungs are filled with oxygen, your energy levels rise, and your overall well-being improves. Besides, nature is the best cure for mental fatigue.

Fitness at the dacha

It's impossible to build specific muscle groups while gardening. However, you can lose weight and strengthen your core even by going to the dacha 2-3 days a week. Bending over works the abdominal, back, and lower back muscles, while sitting weeding works the legs.

Approximate energy consumption:

When digging garden beds, a person weighing 55-60 kg expends 322 kcal per hour;
during weed control - 182 kcal;
watering from a hose - 105 kcal;
When watering from a watering can, you can safely double the figure.

Sawing and mowing develop the back, shoulders and arms.

Squats for butt training

The best exercises for working the hamstrings and strengthening the glutes are squats. Planting potatoes and flowers also engages the muscles that support the lumbar spine. This exercise can replace half squats in the gym.

Attention!

To shape your figure, tighten your buttocks, and strengthen your thighs, you need to be careful to perform the exercises correctly. Your leg should be bent at an angle less than 90°C, and your back should be straight. If you need to deepen the exercise or pull a bucket of potatoes closer, squat first and then lift.

Slimming exercise machine - rake

These specific movements will help develop a toned abs and strengthen the lower back. To enhance the effectiveness of the exercises, pull your stomach in during these movements. To set the right rhythm, it's a good idea to turn on some music. After every 10-12 strokes, stand up straight, breathe deeply, and lift your upper limbs above your head. When breaking up clods of earth, avoid holding your arms close to your body. Raking grass will also help strengthen your back.

Strengthening the small muscles of the spine

Fruit picking engages all muscle groups. Picking apples or pears from a tree stretches the ligaments of the shoulder joints, the thoracic spine, and the core muscles. Calf raises engage the feet and shins, and climbing a stepladder or standing on lower branches engages the brain's coordination center. Static poses are used only by bodybuilders during gym workouts, but at the dacha, they are a necessary part of the workout routine.

The best exercise machine is a shovel

Please note!

If you ask a gardener what kind of work leaves them the most tired, you'll probably get the answer: digging the garden beds. Working with a shovel involves the shoulder girdle, arms, buttocks, and hands. The denser the soil, the more effort it takes, and the more calories burned.

The "exercise" can be made more challenging by performing sets. For example: vigorous digging for 40-60 seconds, then switching legs and repeating. Or walking 1.5-2 meters with a shovel without stopping.

Safety precautions when training in the garden

Just like when working out at the gym, it's important to warm up before gardening. This can be accomplished by doing a few head turns, straight-arm rotations, back-focused "waves," and squats.