Is it possible to organize work in the garden so that fatigue is only pleasant, and the muscles do not respond to it with a painful moan, but only strengthen and fill with strength? You can, if you work without fanaticism and try to combine the usual work in the garden with the exercises that you have to do in the fitness center or gym.
Rule one: start gradually
Remember how any complex of aerobics or even morning gymnastics is built: after a light warm-up, a series of more complex exercises with a heavy load comes. In the same way, it is necessary to work in the garden. Start with a lighter: cleaning dry grass, pruning, hoeing and loosening, and only then start digging up the ground or weeding.
Rule two: take breaks
Many of us are distinguished by garden fanaticism. Starting work early in the morning, straighten your back when it is absolutely unbearable. This is categorically wrong – the muscles get tired of monotonous movements quite quickly, labor productivity decreases sharply, and the feeling of hard labor increases.
Do not allow yourself to get tired, take breaks as soon as you feel the first signs of fatigue. The time for them, as well as the duration, is determined individually: one feels tired after half an hour, the other can work for two hours without a break. And if you want to relax in half an hour, that’s fine: after all, the garden is for pleasure, not for fatigue.
Rule three: change jobs
So that by the evening the waist does not fall off and the wrists do not hurt, after each break, change the type of load. Let it look like a failure from the outside, do not pay attention to the curiosity of idle neighbors. After all, it’s your secret not to get tired. Loosen the flowerbeds for half an hour – take care of the bushes for the next half hour, and then return to the flower garden. We planted flowers of the same type, processed raspberries, and then rested a little.
Rule four: listen to your body
Each of us has “weak points”. Someone has a problematic spine, someone has a rise, someone quickly rubs blisters on tender palms. If possible, take precautions in advance.
For example, the hands should be protected not only with work gloves, but also with bandages in those places where calluses may appear. A wide belt will securely secure the waist. And even better, if you agree with your family when and where you will need their help.
Rule five: observe safety precautions
Many people do not think that working with any tool requires knowledge of general safety rules. So, if you work with a garden wheelbarrow, loading it excessively is dangerous not so much for the wheelbarrow as for your back. It is better to load less and make an extra run than to drag it, puffing, on loose ground or uphill.
You can only lift weights with two hands at the same time, distributing them approximately equally. So, it is better to carry two bottles in both hands, a 5-liter (two-gallon), than in one hand. The same applies to buckets. When lifting weights, do not bend over them, but squat, spring in the knees – so you will save the spine from the wrong load.
Rule six: remember physical education
Many works in the garden by the nature of the movements resemble the exercises familiar to us from childhood. Weeding consists of the trunk leaning forward, and the bushes and berry picking resemble tilts to the side. Spraying the crowns of trees is almost pulling up, the work of the trimmer is turning the trunk, etc.If we perceive these actions, it turns out that we are busy all day with exercises that are useful for the figure.
Rule seven: count calories
The summer season is the perfect time to lose weight. First, the diet is much easier and allows you to adjust your weight by choosing the right dishes. And secondly, physical activity, which we so lack in winter, is presented in abundance and variety in summer. So think about how many calories you burn in a day of gardening.
We remind you that even with heavy work, such as digging, planting trees, etc., it takes 7-8 kcal per minute, and with light weeding, loosening, planting flowers, etc. – 5-6 kcal. You can be sure that counting what you have spent 3-4 hours of work on will bring a feeling of deep satisfaction in any case. With heavy work, it can be up to 1900 kcal, with light work-1400 kcal. Remember that to provide basic life functions (i.e. just lying on the couch) you burn about 1,000 calories a day. So, if you manage to eat, say, 1,800 kcal a day, it will mean that you have burned from 70 to 120 grams of fat, which has long been stored “in reserve” (in 1 g of fat, 9 kcal is hidden). For a week of pleasant work in the garden, you can burn up to a kilogram of fat – this is a brilliant result!