People enjoy gardening for many reasons. Some like being out in the fresh air, while others like the way working with freshly tilled soil can clear the mind. But there’s another reason that many people may not be aware of: the fitness benefits.
Anyone who’s spent a couple of hours pushing a lawn mower around, shoveling dirt or clearing weeds out of a flower bed knows how physically exerting yard work can be. In fact, with the wide array of chores a backyard provides, who needs a gym?
We visited iVillage.com and used their online calorie counter to figure out the number of calories a person could burn doing 60 minutes of basic yard work. The results, which were calculated for people of four different weight levels, were surprising.
| 125 lbs. | 150 lbs. | 175 lbs. | 200 lbs. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mowing lawn with power mower | 255 | 306 | 357 | 408 |
| Raking lawn | 226 | 272 | 317 | 362 |
| Digging with a spade | 283 | 340 | 396 | 453 |
| Tilling with power tiller | 340 | 408 | 476 | 544 |
| Trimming shrubs with manual cutter | 255 | 306 | 357 | 408 |
| Weeding garden | 255 | 306 | 357 | 408 |
| Walking while seeding or applying fertilizer | 141 | 170 | 198 | 226 |
If you’d like to see how many calories you can burn doing gardening chores (as well as many other types of activities), go to this calorie calculator. You will be asked to provide your weight, the activity and the amount of time you will be engaged in the activity.
H.E.A.D.s Up is a monthly column that features articles on a wide array of Health, Exercise And Diet issues. Information for these articles is provided by health and wellness professionals from throughout the A&M System. If you have questions or story ideas for this column, email Ruth McMullan.