I’ve been saying I need to get out and walk but my knee hasn’t been letting me stand on it the way I need to. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get exercise in. Especially on days like today which is June 6th National Gardening Exercise Day #GardeningExerciseDay. I can gather all of my planting supplies.
Then I can go sit outside on the ground to weed some of my Plants and re-plant some of them and find places to display the plants which will get me moving which is a key part to losing weight. Once I finish planting and weeding the plants they will need watered and carrying water inside and outside is going to allow me to get even more exercise in which I need. Would you like to come help me #garden today? I would be happy to furnish beverages and snacks. Once we finish with the plants we can sit and chat for a bit.
On National Gardening Exercise Day, June 6th, people appreciate the bodybuilding activity that is gardening by picking up our trowels and digging in our gardens! Not only is it satisfying to grow our own flowers or herbs from seedling to sprout to a full-grown plant, but it’s also great exercise! Any gardener will tell you that squatting to pick weeds or water a seedling will get those quads burning. Besides, working in the hot Sun adds an extra athletic challenge.
Did you know the history of gardening is so old and intertwined with agriculture that gardening can be challenging to tell where farming ends and gardening begins. However, it’s clear that the first enclosures in forests and wild spaces were made all the way back in 10000 B.C. Humans used these enclosures as a kind of primitive landscaping, as well as a way produce food. Did you know it’s probable that the first real farms and gardens were established in Mesopotamia.
Gardening flourished all over the world and almost at the same time! While evidence of ancient Rice cultivation was found in China in 7000 B.C., Corn was found in Central America, and so on. All over the world, different flowers, produce, and herbs sprung up and were domesticated, then shared. By 1100 B.C., gardens had moved beyond agriculture, cropping up in front of temples and around public buildings.
Between 100 BC and 100 A.D., books on horticulture, agriculture, and botany started to take off. These books included everything from rural life and herbal medicines to waterworks that were placed in gardens. Letters described beautiful villa gardens teeming with carefully domesticated and cultivated plants. ‘Scholar gardens’ and palace gardens reflected culture and government as civilizations flourished. The study of botany emerged in the 1600s, followed by botanical gardens.
In the past century, gardening has undergone more trends than we can count. The 1910s were defined by World War I victory gardens and influenced by art nouveau, while the 1920s and 1930s were preoccupied with the arrival of potted plants on the market. The idea of the classic American backyard featuring a modest garden and manicured suburban lawn arrived in the 1950s.
Since the environmental awakening of the 1960s, much of gardening has been dominated by principles of sustainability and environmentalism. Many gardeners dream of patches full of low-maintenance, native plants, with house plants like succulents sunning themselves indoors. Though gardens have definitely changed throughout the centuries, it’s clear people have always loved their plants!
NATIONAL GARDENING EXERCISE DAY ACTIVITIES
- Get gardening in your own home whether it’s a Succulent on your kitchen table or a flower box at the windowsill, small gardens can exist anywhere in your home! Gardens are
- beautifying, cleansing for the air, and add purpose to many people’s lives. While it’s not as much of a workout to spritz a fussy herb plant as plowing the fields of a farm, you can still add extra exercise to your gardening habits.
- Depending on where you live, community gardens can be exclusive but if you’re lucky enough to get into a community garden, use it as much as you can! For an extra bit of exercise, walk to the community garden if you’re able to.
- Today is the day to ditch any power tools that make gardening easier. If you don’t typically use any, try incorporating a few extra squats or stretches into your gardening regime! Making both gardening and exercising a habit will only make it more likely you’ll stick with it. Both your body and your plants will thank you.
FACTS ABOUT GARDENING
- Did you know the people who sing to their plants aren’t crazy after all because plants can hear you the vibrations may aid plant growth. I don’t sing to my plants but I do talk to them. How about you?
- You might not be gardening a Redwood on your balcony, but it’s still interesting plant trivia and Redwoods which are giants mainly grow along the California coast.
- While we may not feel super comfortable with Bees buzzing around us as we garden, it’s important to remember that Bees actually provide a crucial service for plant health pollination.
- A gardener who spends 30–45 minutes out in the Sun tending their crop is likely to burn up to 300 calories.
- Earthworms help clean the soil our plants take root in by recycling organic material into nutrients for the earth.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL GARDENING EXERCISE DAY
- !If you’re not convinced by the fact that there’s a whole holiday celebrating the exercise you can get while gardening, we don’t know what to tell you. Just think about all the squats to be done while planting seeds!
- We all need vitamin D, but it’s just so easy to stay inside and watch Netflix. Having some plants to care for will get you outside and get some Sun on your face!
- Nothing tastes better than a Tomato that you grew by yourself. Knowing no chemicals are on the Fruits, Vegetables, Seeds, and Herbs you eat gives a person fantastic peace of mind plus, they’re free!
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
