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The reality for some of us is that we aren’t the “work-out” type.

Gym environments can be intimidating and foreign.

And consequently, although we have good intentions, a membership can be wasted or severely under-used.

However, this isn’t a free pass to eliminate your responsibility to exercise and care for your body.

It will require discipline to find activities that can be incorporated into your everyday life.

 

Gardening to Lose Weight

One of the advantages of adding gardening activities into your lifestyle is that your physical activity has a direct benefit to your home.

Mowing, raking leaves and growing flowers improve the curb appeal and beauty of your property while adding value to your health.

There is certainly nothing wrong with walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike, but I enjoy seeing the fruits of my activities and that my efforts provide a larger purpose and benefit.

Another benefit is that you don’t have to schedule travel time to go to a gym.

This can be a huge time-saver and allows you to exercise when it is convenient for your schedule.

 

Burning Calories While Gardening

The American Council on Exercise estimates the hourly caloric burn for the following gardening activities:

Mowing lawn, walk, power mower  306

Planting seedlings, trees, shrubs  238

Trimming trees/shrubs manually  238

Weeding/cultivating Garden  238

Raking lawn  224

Bagging grass clippings/leaves  204

General gardening  204

Fresh-Grown Fruits & Vegetables

Gardening is not only a great way to burn calories but if you use your efforts to grow fruits and vegetables, you can provide your family with healthy, low calorie produce.

When combining this exercise with replacing processed and densely caloric food with the fruits and vegetables you grow, it creates a win-win combination for losing weight.

One of the barriers to losing weight is that most people don’t like the taste of vegetables.

This is a result of the fact that many of us have never tasted fresh-grown fruits and vegetables.

Unfortunately, most grocery stores sell varieties that were bred to withstand long voyages without bruising.

This characteristic is great for selling visually appealing produce, but generally, the taste is compromised.

Fresh-grown fruits and vegetables have a flavor that can’t be matched.

If you have never had fresh-grown, then you really haven’t experienced how delicious fruits and vegetables can be.

As a result of the amazing flavor, fresh-grown produce can spur a desire to include more fruits and vegetables into your diet.

It is obviously much easier to eat healthfully when the food tastes delicious.

Consequently, flavorful produce helps eliminate the feeling of being deprived.

 

Gardening Weight Loss Tips:

1. Start slowly. Begin with 15-20 minutes per day. Resist the temptation to start a large project and become overwhelmed. Have a conversation with your doctor before starting any exercise routine.
2. Be intentional. Schedule gardening time as an appointment on your phone and create a reminder.
3. Create accountability. Have an accountability partner that you regularly check-in with to make sure you are staying active.
4. Grow vegetables. Start a small vegetable container garden with vegetables that you and your family like. Click here to learn how.
5. Vary your activities each day. Try different gardening activities to see what you truly enjoy. You may have a hidden talent!
6. Keep a gardening journal. Log your activities and the caloric burn to see your progress each week. Also, document all the fruits and vegetables you harvest. It can be quite an impressive amount of healthy food each season.
7. Learn about flowers, vegetables, and fruits that are easy to grow in your area.
8. Drink plenty of water before and after gardening.
9. If you don’t have space to grow vegetables, buy your produce at local farmer’s markets to take advantage of the fresh, flavorful harvest.
10. The more, the merrier. Spend time together as a family gardening and cooking the food you grow.