June 6^th has been designated as National Gardening Exercise Day and it’s a great opportunity to get outdoors and spread the word about how gardening can make you healthier. We’ve all probably read or heard stories about the dramatic increases in diabetes in adults and childhood obesity. Gardening can be a great way to get exercise without really even knowing it! All the digging, lifting and moving from one area of the garden to another can add up to a really good workout. Depending upon your weight and your level of exertion one hour of gardening can burn anywhere from 200 to 600 calories. I don’t know about you but an hour can turn into a whole afternoon in the yard for me and the best part is this is an activity I enjoy! Finding an enjoyable exercise activity is a major key to losing weight or just maintaining a healthy body in general.  Finally, gardening is also a great activity for the whole family so on National Gardening Exercise Day why not get the kids away from the video games and plan a project the whole family can participate in and benefit from!

Photo © Barbara Helgason - Fotolia.com