Green fingered Brits are burning a whopping 51,428 calories a year – by gardening. A new study found that the average green-fingered adult spends almost five more hours a week working out compared to the less green-fingered.
Regular gardeners spend 35 minutes on average a week weeding – equating to 632 calories burned a month, or the equivalent of two Big Macs.
Surprisingly, although mowing the lawn might be considered more of a routine domestic chore than a full workout, adults are shedding an impressive 5.7 calories a minute pacing up and down the garden, and with Brits on average mowing for more than half an hour each week, that adds up to a whopping 10,400 calories melted each year.
In addition to shedding pounds, the research by Argos, found that gardening has a proven impact on wider wellbeing. In total, gardening enthusiasts spend 4.5 hours a week outside in their gardens, compared to just 18 minutes for non-gardeners.
Seventy-eight per cent of gardeners claimed that pottering around the garden reduced their stress levels and more than half (57 per cent) claimed it gave them a greater sense of well-being. What’s more, 80 per cent of regular gardeners claimed they slept better than usual after gardening.
RDA for gardeners
As a result of the findings, a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) has been developed by TV gardening expert David Domoney in partnership with Argos. Inspired by the Government’s five-a-day guidelines for eating, the RDA for gardening is 30 minutes a day.
David Domoney: “Most people enjoy working in their garden because it gives them a mental boost. Digging, tilling and planting can be extremely therapeutic, and gives people a chance to think whilst working outside, which is enjoyable in its own right. But we were surprised to see just how much physical exertion it takes to do certain garden tasks, particularly things like pushing a lawnmower or digging.
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