Be a budding athlete and take up your garden shovel

GETTING down and dirty in the garden is an excellent form of exercise, a doctor has claimed.

Medical Director of Pfizer Healthcare Ireland Dr John Farrell said many gardening activities burn the same number of calories as some traditional forms of exercise.

Digging in the garden is thought to burn about 150 calories in women and up to 200 in men — the same amount as a leisurely swim, cycle or even a work out with a punch bag.

The health benefits from regular activity, such as gardening, includes: reducing heart disease by a third, strokes by aquarter, non-insulin dependent diabetes by a quarter and hip fractures in the elderly by a half.

Like many forms of exercise, gardening should be maintained for at least 30 minutes to be beneficial.

“If this is the case, gardening offers a superb form of exercise and relaxation that can be enjoyed by people at almost any age,” said Dr Farrell.

He said gardening offered a broad variety of activities that work different muscle groups.

“This makes it easier for people to garden for a beneficial amount of time, without much danger of injury occurring, provided appropriate care is taken.”

Mowing the lawn with a push reel mower burns 180 calories in women and almost 240 in men over half-an-hour. But with a motor-powered mower, these figures drop to 135 and 180 respectively.

Dr Farrell said spending half-an-hour planting shrubs and trees gives the whole body a moderate workout with 135 calories burnt in women and 180 in men.

Dr Farrell said gardeners should take good care of their backs, watch their posture and avoid over-using any one particular muscle group.

Pfizer is part of the Bloom in the Park, hosted by Bord Bia that will run from Friday next to Monday in Phoenix Park, Dublin, and will be inviting people to take part in their cardiovascular screening programme.

Visit www.bloominthepark.com or call 0818 300 260.