"Working out" in your Garden!

My garden is my gym. The rake, the hoe, the shovel and wheelbarrow are my gym equipment. Time spent outside in the warm sun, well, that's my tanning bed. As a plus, when the first Summer heat wave arrives, I have awesome toned biceps to show off. Now, I do try to be mindful of what we eat and that's one of the reasons I garden, so naturally, I was also curious as to how many calories were being burned with my so-called backyard “workout”.

In searching for any kind of reliable source to measure the activities I was doing in the backyard, the results were varying. Mostly, what I could find was calculated by the hour, mile or repetition, and at different body weights. So here I broke down very similar gym-type workouts to match some common outdoor chores, and compiled the following list.

I feel I have an average frame, average age and lifestyle, so the following activities apply to fit my 5’7”, (give or take) 150 pound ratio, and adjusted for a normal pace of activity in a half-hour interval. Mind you, these are not by-the-book figures, and just a general estimate for the curiosity and fun of it all! Since I am not a Doctor, Personal Trainer, Nutritionist or otherwise, I would advise to seek Medical advice to determine what activities would be beneficial for yourself.

                        Calories Burned per Half Hour

Weeding the Garden..............................125
Planting seedlings..................................140
Tilling the Garden..................................153
Everyday Gardening..............................184
Raking....................................................135
Turning compost pile.............................200
Hanging sheets out on the clothes line.....70
Walking in the yard..................................70
Chicken coop or fence building..............202
Stacking 50lb bags of feed......................300
Feeding chickens or livestock.................161
Pushing wheelbarrow with load..............189
Bird/chicken watching..............................85
Actively playing with your animals........140

And if this applies to you right now!
Walking through snow............................135


Whether or not I burn off that deliciously sweet French toast breakfast, I am sure you'll agree, nothing beats enjoying your time outdoors in the garden and with your animals!

Cheers!