Gardening is like the best exercise ever. Why? Well, it has a purpose. It's not jumping around just because you need to move in some way during the day. I really don't like walking in place or feeling I'm 'exercising'. But with gardening, I feel I'm improving my yard. I'm making my neighbors happy by having our house look more presentable and it just plain feels good to be out in the open air.
Second, 4-5 hours of gardening is a great way to burn a ton of calories so easily. You don't even realize that you are really working because, again, it has a purpose, you're outside, it varies in intensity from being tough (hauling mulch and stooping over distributing it) to easy, standing and adding soil to a planter.
Third, and this is a biggee - it's an appetite suppressant. If you are working all the time, happy to be outside, creating something, or fixing something, you don't think about food. When you are ready to eat, you are tired, hot and light food sounds the best. Every time I garden, I end up eating less than on days I am sitting around home.
So here I am, having only eaten 900 calories today and I'm not hungry, my body feels great, my yard is looking great and I burned 2000 calories (at least). Why didn't I get into gardening earlier?
That's also why I think getting the bike and using it for grocery store runs will be good for me - exercising with a purpose. If I just move more in my day to day life, I will stay fitter and slimmer.
Beginning weight: 255.6 Now: 209.0 (no change from yesterday down 46 and a half pounds)
Exercise total hours in 2011: 160.5 hours
Walking/Biking total miles in 2011: 428/1000
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