From Southern Living:
https://www.southernliving.com...

Most gardeners know this, where else would we work so hard certainly not in a gym. The results are a gift to ourselves in health and others who enjoy the results of our gardens.

I SECOND THAT ARTICLE!

Me three!!!

Thanks for sharing, so I can share (the link to the article)!

I hope so, I've been gardening for over 30 years. Yesterday, I was pooped from 2 hours of gardening.
But I also go to the gym now too. I also swim regularly, but not vigorously. I do other sports as well. What can I say, I'm not an indoor person.

SoCalGardenNut said:What can I say, I'm not an indoor person.

I get that! We were expecting big storms Saturday afternoon. So I planned on mopping floors. It was sunny when I woke up, so I decided to work outside at least til the heavy rains came. DH joined me . We planted 2 large veggie garden boxes, removed big pine roots from under 4 x4 ft of flagstone.

Then GF texted and sent radar saying "take cover " wind, hail, and rains headed our way! I quickly covered up our hole, and put the tools away.

While I was eating inside, I saw the sun come out! It never rained! So I went back outside alone and finished the job PLUS more.

My GF has never been good at reading maps or radar. I should have remembered that. She hates getting dirty and is not a gardener. Plus she had asked me, "When are you going to mop your floors?!". Shes worried about my floors?? I'm not! They still haven't been mopped. I went back outside yesterday to enjoy the nice spring weather. And I'll go outside again today. Mopping be damned!!

Lol, I know what you mean, Cheryl! I need to do the laundry. I'm running out of socks and gotchies! But who can think about that when it's warm and sunny out.

Hello! Thanks for laughs before I head to bed. I better find an outfit to wear tomorrow since I had mismatched jacket and slacks since I didn't do laundry on weekend. I wish I could say I was being productive. Just taking pictures to post for my "new hobby with new friends"!

Cheryl, I don't know why you planned on mopping floors when storm coming. That would be my excuse.
Have to "batten down the hatches" by securing items outside. Can't mop since floors get dirty in storm!

I'm still a Texan at heart. Lived in Houston, east TX and Dallas/Ft Worth area where family still lives.

Glad you did not have serious storms. Storms and tornadoes north of us. Mostly sunny (& windy) here,
so then I had to go to the garden shop! Walking there is good for body and soul!

I'm the only one in my family who doesn't have numerous health problems...I attribute it to gardening and just being outdoors a lot.

JHeirloomSeeds said:I'm the only one in my family who doesn't have numerous health problems...I attribute it to gardening and just being outdoors a lot.

Exactly. Not only gardening, the vegs I eat from my garden helps keep me healthy too. Who knew that beet roots help with high blood pressure. I grew tons and ate tons.

Better health and larger vocabulary.
Never heard of gotchies.

Gotchies.... I know what they are... I've been weeding n cleaning the yard since beginning of March. You would think my leg n butt muscles would be used to the bending. Not yet .. still ache at the end of the day. Lifting bags of soil sounds like a workout to me.

Magiccraftcl said:Gotchies.... I know what they are... I've been weeding n cleaning the yard since beginning of March. You would think my leg n butt muscles would be used to the bending. Not yet .. still ache at the end of the day. Lifting bags of soil sounds like a workout to me.

Riiight?! Strangest phenomenon ever! I am sore after I mow the lawn as if I have never touched a mower before? SMH I don't get it??

Yes, I still believe believe that gardening is excellent exercise with growing healthy food as a bonus!

However, I have just seen both sides of the coin. My mom loves her back door garden with amaryllis, daisies, fern, daisies, etc.

For 2 weeks I helped her recover from sciatica and spinal compression fracture, probably from osteoporesis. She didn't know what happened. Then we walked past garden, she said, "The last think I remember doing is watering these flowers!" So the light bulb went off that she probably strained her back from watering the plants since she fills small water containers from rain water pails and carries them to the plants. She thought she would be on pain meds the rest of her life.

Thankfully, with physical therapy she is making rapid recovery with less pain and more mobility.. I attribute her quick recovery to her daily gardening.

This was a good reminder to use good body mechanics to avoid back strain, use your strong legs, don't twist at the waist!

Happy Healthy Habits for Gardening Gurus

I expect some aches and pain as I get older, not just related to garden. If I die doing what I love, I consider that a good living, or living a very good life.

With that said, my husband is experiencing back trouble when he digs now, I have to give him strong back massage, even though he does sit up every day. He never had this problem before.

When I was in my early 40s, carrying two liter of coke bottle to my kid's class party as a volunteer, I pulled my back and couldn't walk straight, was limping for weeks, I even had to go to a wedding with a cane for support. I think it depends on one's body, it can happen at any age.

Aging isn't for wimps! Gardening is where the majority of my exercise come from. Genetics and lifestyle are things we need to deal with. On a positive? note even the healthiest among us die in the end.