Get Fit While Getting Dirty: Making the Most of Your Dacha Time
Working on a dacha (cottage) for weight loss: essential guidelines for gardeners
Swap the gym for the garden! Work on your dacha isn't just about hard work, it's about getting physical and shedding those extra pounds while enjoying the great outdoors. But, remember, losing weight isn't only about physical exertion, a change in diet is equally important. However, with a little know-how, your dacha can become your personal fitness hub.
Be warned: working on the dacha doesn't equate to building physical strength and improving your physique, fitness trainer Natalia SHILOVA warns. But, it's not a total waste of time!
Outdoor Exertion Benefits
- While it may not make you the next bodybuilding champ, there are definitely benefits to working on the dacha. During physical exertion outdoors, your body consumes more oxygen and speeds up oxidation-reduction processes, leading to a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate[3].*
Warming Up Right
To avoid strains and muscle aches, do simple exercises like squats, forward and backward bends, and torso twists before getting started[3]. All these should be performed slowly, feeling each movement to the fullest.
The Muscles Gardeners Burn
Gardening targets various muscle groups:
- Forward bends engage the back and lower back muscles as well as leg muscles[3]*
- When kneeling, the gluteal muscles are activated[3]*
- Raking workouts the shoulder girdle and core muscles (abdominals)[3]*
Gardening as a Workout
- Gardening and Digging: Strengthens gluteal muscles, muscles of the posterior thigh, core muscles, shoulder girdle, back, and arm muscles[3]*
- Watering with a Straight Back: Engages core muscles and finger flexors[3]*
- Pruning Trees and Shrubs: Works the back, chest, leg, gluteal, shoulder, and arm muscles, as well as all stabilizing muscles, ensuring a challenging workout[3]*
- Hauling Loads in a Wheelbarrow: Engages shoulder girdle and forearm muscles, back muscles, and rectus and oblique abdominal muscles[3]*
Unfortunately, gardening often involves one-sided stress. Make sure to alternate the move from one leg to another and take a 15-20 minute break every hour to let muscles relax[3].
An hour of gardening can burn between 180 to 350 calories, depending on the activity's intensity[3]
Relaxing After a Hard Day's Work
Three simple exercises to alleviate muscle tension and minimize back, neck, and shoulder pain:
"Cat-Cow Stretch": Improves thoracic spine mobility and strengthens back muscles."Book Open": A Pilates exercise that strengthens the core."Triangle": Helps relax the lumbar square muscle and reduce muscle spasms, making it beneficial for anyone with back or lower back pain.
Breathing exercises are also useful for recovering after a tough day, cooling your body down and putting it into rest mode.
Lastly, Dr. Sergey Bubnovsky advises, if your back hurts, to apply an ice pack for 5-10 minutes to alleviate the spasm and pain.
Sources:
[1] https://www.reference.com/health/stress-reduction-exercises-968ee8dc15297723[2] https://www.verywellfit.com/gardening-as-exercise-2623503[3] https://www.kp.ru/material/sashit-na-dache-ili-total-body-v-shedevom-11118293/
- Incorporate science-based wellness practices into your dacha time by warming up with exercise routines and relaxing with stress-reduction exercises to optimize your health and wellness.
- Engage in fitness-and-exercise activities like gardening, pruning, watering, and hauling loads to burn calories, strengthen various muscle groups, and promote a healthier lifestyle in the workplace-wellness sense.
