‘Help prevent weight gain’: Garden expert shares physical benefits of ‘regular’ gardening

Gardening expert explains benefits of not mowing your lawn

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Gardening expert and author Annie Burdick has shared her advice for beginner gardeners looking to start their own garden. In her new book, Gardening for Mind, Body and Soul, Annie discusses the health and well-being benefits of gardens and gardening alongside tips to help people get the best out of their gardens. One of the sections of Annie’s new book touches on the physical benefits of exercise.

She explained to Express.co.uk how gardening can be a cardio exercise as well as good for flexibility.

She said: “Gardening can be a cardio exercise depending on the task that you’re doing.

“It can stretch all of your muscle groups like swimming does – which is really hard to find in an exercise.

“You can be getting a lot of good muscle work and flexibility work and balance work all at once by mixing up the tasks that you’re doing.”

Annie said gardening doesn’t always feel like an exercise of part of an exercise routine.

However, if you’re doing a little bit everyday, there are a multitude of benefits people can get from it.

The gardening expert said it can be similar to doing yoga where you’re stretching a lot.

She said: “Some tasks in the garden like weeding and raking are a lot more physical.

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“If you’re pulling things and you’re moving things around or carrying things that are heavy, those are things that you fee automatically. You feel like you’re getting exercise.

“Or there’s the smaller tasks like planting or watering where it doesn’t feel like it’s exercise.

“But if you mix in those heavier tasks with some of the lighter tasks, a few times a week, you’re getting a bit of exercise and getting your heart rate up without even realising it.

“You’re also getting all the other benefits of being outdoors like vitamin D too.”

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Gardening can also have a positive impact on blood pressure and weight loss.

Annie said in integrating gardening into daily life and doing it on a regular basis can help blood pressure.

She added: “Blood pressure, heart rate, weight – all those things can be reduced in a healthier way and that’s a reason why people want gardening to be a regular activity versus every so often.

“It’s even better at preventing things like weight gain and high blood pressure.”

The gardening expert also said gardening can keep people healthy and help stave off illnesses people could be prone to getting later on.

Annie Burdick is a writer, editor, and word obsessive.

She lives in Oregon with her partner and two rescue dogs and loves finding new adventures in her spare time.

She has written for Eater, Apartment Therapy, MyDomaine, AFAR, and many other publications.

Gardening for Mind, Body and Soul: How to Nurture Your Well-Being with Nature by Annie Burdick is published by Summersdale Publishers.

The book will be available to purchase from February 10 for £12.99.

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