by Irini Kotroni

Created on: March 30, 2010

Do you feel as though you should be taking more exercise but you don’t want to go to the gym?  Well the good news is you don’t have to go to a gym to burn calories to get fit.

Take a look out of the window at your yard.  Unless you employ a gardener on a weekly basis, there is always something that needs attending to and just a few paces from the sofa.  It is a wonderful physical exercise for all, the young, old, active or semi-active.  It can be done seated or standing, even lying down.  Yes, just lie near a weedy area and then pull out the weeds as you lie there.

So put on your gardening boots or similar sturdy footwear, pick up your gardening gloves and get out there.

Should you have a large yard, take it bit by bit.  Don’t try and tackle everything at once.  The first glance can be overwhelming; one look is enough to make you return indoors and switch on the TV. 

A gym has special equipment so why not a garden.  Invest in good tools; the first being a pair of pruners for your garden tool box.  These are essential for your anti-stress and anger management programme.

Let’s start with a stress workout.  Stress, the scourge of today’s fast world.  Sadly it happens to the majority of us at some time or other.  Beware, it comes in many different disguises; long working hours, unhappy workplace atmosphere, education problems, children, unrealistic deadlines, break-up of a relationship or the loss of a dear one. 

An excellent way to help relieve stress is to try and focus the mind on something else.  This initially is very difficult therefore begin this mental workout by getting your pruners and then focus; really focus, on gentle pruning of the plants.  Remove all the dead heads from your flowers.  Prune back some overgrown plants and let fresh air, sunshine and rain get to them.  They will repay you with more blooms and at the same time, the fresh air, sunshine and rain will help to refresh your mental state and soothe your body systems.

Feeling frustrated or angry?  Have you had a bad day at work; did the car break down or maybe the train was late?  Don’t sit indoors letting all these negative thoughts fester; take your frustration or anger into the garden and this time prune all the really overgrown, tough, woody plants, clip out the dead wood. Not enough plants to work off that anger?  Purchase some ‘long reach’

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