Squats and Sprouts: The Joyful Workout of National Gardening Exercise Day

On This Day
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:

Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode.

June 6, 1919

On this day, dear green-thumbed fitness enthusiasts, we celebrate National Gardening Exercise Day.

What a delightful confluence of pursuits!

As I've previously extolled, many are drawn to gardening for its calming effects, the promise of beauty, or the allure of homegrown bounty. But let us not overlook the vigorous workout that awaits us among the beds and borders!

Indeed, gardening is a full-body exercise that would put many a gym routine to shame.

Consider, if you will, the squats performed while weeding, the bicep curls as you hoist bags of mulch, or the cardiovascular benefits of chasing that persistent rabbit from your prized lettuce patch.

So, on this auspicious day, I implore you to celebrate your horticultural exertions with gusto!

Why not time your pruning sessions as if they were intervals on a treadmill?

Perhaps you could don a sweatband as you tackle that overgrown hedge, or perform lunges between each tomato plant as you stake them?

For the truly dedicated, might I suggest a new Olympic sport: synchronised hoeing?

Or perhaps a neighbourhood competition for the fastest wheelbarrow sprint?

Remember, my fellow garden gymnasts, every twist of the trowel, every push of the mower, and every reach for that high-hanging fruit is sculpting not just your landscape, but your physique as well.

So go forth and garden with renewed vigor!

May your muscles be as well-toned as your lawns, and may the only six-pack you need be the one holding your seedlings.

Happy National Gardening Exercise Day!

May your workouts be fruitful and your recovery times spent admiring your blooming achievements.

National Gardening Exercise Day
National Gardening Exercise Day

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