Garden gym: James Wong’s Fiskar’s fitness advice
Gardeners are forever being told that digging and weeding is good exercise and much healthier than spending time indoors in a gym.
Digging burns roughly 272 calories for every hour of activity
Now TV gardener James Wong has teamed up with garden equipment company Fiskars to take enthusiasts through a light-hearted garden workout that will see them burning up calories in no time.
The Fiskars PowerGear lopper is a chest press by any other name, and will help sculpt your body during autumn pruning of overgrown shrubs.
Regular pruning and lopping will shed around 238 calories every 60 minutes according to Fiskars, which obtained their calorie counting from www.lab.com.
Using secateurs is another route to a well-honed body – particularly if you squat down to prune.
Using secateurs is another easy way to burn calories, especially when combined with squats
Squatting tones pretty much every muscle group except the fingers, but the SmartFit ambidextrous pruner will help exercise your digits – and you can swap from one hand to the other for an all-over workout.
For impressive triceps and well-defined upper body try using Fiskars’ lightweight tools as a shoulder press – just holding one above your head should do it.
But if you want to burn the calories get digging – roughly 272 calories are used every hour when you dig (see www.lab.com again).
The Fiskars PowerGear lopper is a chest press by any other name, and will help sculpt pectorals
Don’t forget to take a rest from the digging, though, and relax.
Gardening is one of the most effective exercises to reduce stress and you don’t need Fiskars tools – anything you’ve got in your garden shed will do.
But for more information on the Finnish company’s range of lightweight and ergonomically designed equipment, go to www.fiskars.com.