Why Gardening Is A Physical Activity

White man on push lawn mower with chainsaw and ax in ready for yard work.

National Gardening Week is the first full week In June, National Gardening Exercise Day is June 6th and National Weed Your Garden Day is June 13th. So it’s only right we show them ALL some love!

You did NOT make a mistake. Ye eyes doesth not deceiveth tho! This is an ACTIVE-DAD post about GARDENING! Why exactly? Because gardening is a physical activity. This ain’t just for “Ol’ Timers” either. We are ALL IN on this whole adulting thing.

There are countless Fitness Gurus and Fitness Experts interested in helping you get that 6-Pack washboard abs, or those bulging biceps. If those are your goals, we support you and we would be happy to introduce you to some of the Fitness Experts.

ACTIVE-DAD exists, if for no other reason, to MOTIVATE you to explore ALL ways you can Prioritize Physical Activity. Not just your staples of weight lifting, running, biking, swimming and walking, but other more creative ways as well. When you need a break from the mundane or just to actively use a “rest day”, you have options. Gardening is one of them.

It’s obvious, but worth stating, dads come in all walks of life. Different shapes, sizes, forms, skill levels and levels of tolerances. There’s no ONE-SIZE fits all model. There is no prototypical ACTIVE-DAD. The only common denominator is the desire to improve yourself by first Prioritizing Physical Activity.

The spectrum of physical activity is so broad that there’s a Compendium of Physical Activities .There is a health benefit associated with literally every source of physical activity, as opposed to infinite hours leading a sedentary life.

 Which brings me to gardening…

For the first time in my adult life, I have a primary residence with a yard that I am responsible for maintaining. This means mowing the lawn, raking leaves, weeding, trimming bushes, pampas grass, and cutting down branches. This sounds more like lawn care, but this applies to tending to a flower garden just as well as a fruit and vegetable garden.

In our yard we have irises, lilies, rose bushes, hibiscuses, flowering dogwood trees, oak, maple and pine trees. There’s a bunch of other vegetation, but I think you get the picture. Left unchecked and we’ll quickly become “those neighbors”. So we are attentive of our yard, because we have our responsibilities, and I am sure you do to!

Depending on the size of your yard and the type of landscaping, gardening and lawn maintenance can take anywhere from one hour to several days. If you live in places like Arizona, you likely have drought resistant landscape designs which take minimal effort. Gardening doesn’t feel like high intensity cardio, because it isn’t. However, you’re moving and exerting yourself. If you’re digging and planting, then you are getting some major muscle groups involved.

Meet that met

According to the Compendium of Physical Activities the range of Metabolic Equivalents (METs) assigned to gardening activities extend from 3.5 METs for weeding, cultivating garden with light-to-moderate effort to 7.8 METs for digging, spading, filling garden, composting with vigorous effort.

Ok, so I’m sure you’re asking what in the world is a MET. I covered it before in A Stimulus Package That Will Make You Feel Good. It’s worth revisiting what is meant by MET. The term MET is used in the Compendium to reflect the energy costs of physical activities. The ratio of the work metabolic rate to the resting metabolic rate. The standard MET is a shorthand way of expressing the mass-specific energy costs of activities. In comparison, sitting on the couch watching T.V. has an energy cost of about 1.3 METs.

A FAMILY AFFAIR

As dads, in addition to maintaining the landscape, we are also responsible for young, growing human beings. Combine these responsibilities with the infinitely curious mind of kids and you have—aside from free child labor–opportunities for life lessons and teachable moments. You also have another avenue to introduce physical activity into your son and daughter’s life. Don’t’ take these opportunities lightly, from what I hear, your kids will soon be so smart they will know everything.

Honestly, these young minds are eager to help when they are physically able. My daughter is usually chomping at the bit to learn. Often, I take her grocery shopping with me and get her involved in picking the produce. She asks TONS of questions. Even when she knows the answer! You know your child does it too! “Daddy, what’s that?”, even though she just had “that” for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When I get my daughter involved, she lights up like a Christmas tree.

Likewise, when me or my wife get our daughter involved in gardening. Dirt, grass, aphids, worms, weeds and flowers, kids gravitate to it. Give them a tool, show them how to use it…IT’S LIKE MAGIC. Introduce water, then you’ve got an unofficial babysitter. But don’t walk away or yo will have a flooded yard and a SKY-HIGH water bill. Now, if we had a fruit/vegetable garden, we would be set. That’s next!

Grow Your Kids with Physical Activity

If you’re thinking practically ANYTHING can be considered a physical activity if GARDENING is one. You’d be close to spot on. Doing ANYTHING is better than leading a sedentary life or just sitting on the couch.

Seriously, check out the Compendium and discover ALL of the Physical Activities you can get involved in. Improve your health along the way, while simultaneously showing your kids how to as well.

Let this serve as an example of how you can prioritize time with you kids, Prioritize Physical Activity and teach them the importance of it AND turn it into a learning experience as well. THAT’S A FULL DAY! That is what we call WINNING!

Stay Motivated! Stay Healthy!