Now that it's actually starting to feel like spring, it's going to be a whole lot easier to get outdoors to take up your favorite seasonal activities. And even better -- they could be burning up more calories than you think.
Gardening, for example, doesn't appear to be very strenuous but the "standing, stooping, kneeling, watering and weeding" involved can burn more than 300 calories an hour, the New York Daily News reports, citing the American College of Sports Medicine's Health & Fitness Journal.
It also requires flexibility and strength, especially when it comes to planting, weeding and composting, according to Maggie Clarke, the founder and president of the Riverside-Inwood Neighborhood Garden.
"It's good exercise," she told the Daily News, estimating she works a couple of hours a week in the garden, weather permitting.
Exercise physiologists caution starting gardeners, especially those who may out of shape, to start slowly, and to maintain proper form.
"Make sure you're bending at the knees and using your leg muscles to perform good movement," said Jessica Matthews, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise.
Do you feel the burn after gardening? What do you enjoy planting?
