Cathy Isom encourages you to maximize the benefits you reap from gardening by giving you so many reasons why you’ll want to spend time in your garden today. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Tuesday, June 6th is National Gardening Exercise Day and gardeners everywhere will be celebrating.
There are many reasons why it’s so important to do so. Even if you’re not a green thumb but are learning to be one, spending time in your garden can give a boost to your physical and mental health.
When you think about it, all of that work, whether it’s lifting heavy rocks, weeding, or hauling dirt, it all takes energy and 
energy means burning calories. Lifting and hauling the heavy rocks can burn about 400-to-600 per hour. Raking and bagging leaves could burn 300-to-400 calories per hour. Pulling weeds and planting flowers, too? Yep, anywhere from 200-to-400 calories per hour.
If that’s not enough to get you motivated, consider these added health benefits of getting out in the garden. It can reduce stress, improve heart health and reduce stroke risk, increase strength and dexterity. Studies have even show that it can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s.
In order to reap the most of these health benefits, it’s recommended to spend at least 30 minutes working in the garden as many days as possible during the week. Don’t forget to bring plenty of water to stay hydrated, wear a hat and long sleeves to avoid excess sun damage. And, always have the sunblock handy just in case. If you happen to have your smart phone handy, you can post to social media using the hashtag #gardeningexerciseday.
I’m Cathy Isom…