Stay in Shape During Summer Break | Work at Pondering Gardens!

Calling all college students! While you aren’t hitting the books and studying hard in the coming months, stay in shape this summer break! One of the best occupations to keep your heart racing and your body feeling the daily burn is to become a landscaping employee at Pondering Gardens. Daily physical labor paired with breathing in the summer air is the perfect combination to integrate exercise into your daily routine. 

What if someone told you that a healthier and longer life was within your grasp? Working as a landscaper during the summer months is among the top ten occupations guaranteed to keep you in shape. Because of the constant need to be on your feet, moving about a project, bending and lifting, there is no doubt you will get your daily exercise in the landscaping industry.

Landscaping and gardening tasks such as mowing the lawn or raking leaves provide the extended movement and effort that helps keep your heart active. Tasks like weeding, trimming, planting, and mulching are well within the skill set of the beginner gardener, and they will help build your strength and flexibility. Using gardening tools and carrying supplies to complete landscaping tasks will add up to a full body work out. 

Here are the ways to properly perform the most common gardening maneuvers and the muscles used to complete the task: 

Bending
Muscles used: Abs, back, legs

The right way to do it: Focus on tightening your leg muscles (your quadriceps and your hamstrings) as you bend forward. Keep your knees slightly bent.

Raking
Muscles used: Core, shoulders, arms

The right way to do it: Use short, quick motions, and keep the rake close to your body.  Switch sides every 2 to 3 minutes.

Squatting
Muscles used: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings

The right way to do it: Keeping your torso upright, lower your body until your bottom almost touches the ground. Try to keep your weight on your heels.

Pushing a Wheelbarrow
Muscles used: Core, quadriceps, hamstrings, chest, shoulders, arms

The right way to do it: Load the wheelbarrow with only as much weight as you can handle without straining. First, use your leg muscles, not your back to lift the wheelbarrow; next, use your arm muscles to push the load forward.

Additionally, working out in the garden will help you feel good and productive. Soon you won’t just be seeing the results or your energy in the landscaping projects, they will be evident as you drop pounds and build muscle. As we have mentioned in previous articles, there are great benefits of working outside and being amongst nature, which is excellent for your health and mental well-being. Since a lot of landscaping involves digging holes, moving slabs, and generally physically intensive work, it can also provide a killer workout, for both your cardiovascular system and muscles. If you’re interested in becoming a landscape employee, please give us a call today at Pondering Gardens! We look forward to hearing from you!