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Gardening For Your Health Working in your yard doesn't just yield a polished finish on your outside décor. Though you may not realize it, gardening is exercise - here's how to get the most out of it.  If you think gardening is merely a hobby focused on beautifying your yard or a pleasant way to spend a day, think again. It's actually quite a workout. Image courtesy Getty Images Although most consider gardening to be a hobby, routine gardening and the end-of-summer garden clean-up provide a real workout. Wrestling with deep-rooted weeds, making a clean sweep of fallen leaves or tending to your flowerbed are physically exerting activities. "Gardening is aerobic, strength and flexibility," says Richard Cotton, an exercise physiologist in San Diego. The variety of moves required in gardening can tone your muscles; help you maintain balance and burn from 250 to 350 calories an hour, depending on your size and how strenuously you work. But if you're not careful, you can pull more than weeds. Gardening can take a toll on your back, knees and neck, say exercise specialists. The alternative isn't to give a pass to your garden; you know how that's going to play with the neighbors. What's more, skipping your gardening chores means you're missing out on beneficial exercise. The solution is to treat gardening as vigorous physical activity and prepare for it, say the experts. Make stretching the first part of your gardening routine, says Jeffrey Restuccio, a garden and fitness expert based in Memphis, Tenn. This is essential even if you're otherwise fit. "You can be a world-class marathoner and be sore after gardening," says Cotton. Garden chores put stress on different muscles. For example, squatting to dig up bulbs such as tulips or freesia taxes your inner thighs, according to Cotton. "Do six to 10 stretches. Slowly touch your toes. Do a shoulder flex," says Restuccio, author of "Fitness the Dynamic Gardening Way" (Balance of Nature Publishing, 1992). Next, learn to use your knees and not your back. "Never bend from the back; never bend over or stoop over and pick something up. [Instead] your knees must bend," Restuccio says. Vary your routine as you garden so you don't concentrate all your efforts on one or two muscle groups. Cotton suggests splitting the day between raking and weeding. Restuccio recommends changing your motions every five to 10 minutes. Space out gardening, even if you'd like to be done in a day. Take a break after an hour, and drink plenty of water. "You have to pace yourself. Don't be a sprinter when gardening is a long-distance marathon," says Cotton.
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Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"
