gardening exercise benefits

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Gardening is a popular activity among the longest-living people on Earth, and it combines physical and social interaction with vitamin D from sunlight. It also builds strength and dexterity.

Yard work is a full-body workout that can burn as many calories as a trip to the gym. Digging, raking and mowing all engage major muscle groups.

• Friends of the Easton Cemetery and the West Ward Community Initiative are hosting Community Day at the Easton Cemetery on Sept. 16
• Visitors can enjoy yoga, cemetery tours, grave gardening tours and more
• Donations are requested in order to maintain community programming and to help alleviate costs for the cemetery

EASTON, Pa. — Seeking to cleanse your spirit through the art of yoga? Or perhaps you’re more incline toward the meditative practice of gardening.
Either way, you’ll find something to sate your appetite at Easton Cemetery this weekend.

Friends of the Easton Cemetery and the West Ward Community Initiative are inviting local residents to a day of connecting and reconnecting the community with the legendary resting place as a place for recreation, relaxation, history, nature and art.

This Saturday, Sept. 21, the two organizations are welcoming visitors to Community Day at the Easton Cemetery, with a variety of tours, activities, art and fundraising to e support for public programming and educational resources for the community.

The motivation behind the seemingly unusual event stems from a historical practice of treating cemeteries as public green spaces as well as final resting places, Friends of the Easton Cemetery President Amy Wolff said.

“Our cemetery is a garden cemetery, so it was actually created for the intention to bring people in and to spend the day,” Wolff said.

“In Victorian times, that’s what people were doing – they spent the day, even in our cemetery when it was the early 1900s. They were lined up at that North 7th Street gate and bought tickets. They would dress up, they would bring lunches, they would picnic on the graves of their loved ones. So we’re sort of starting to kind of bring back that original messaging that this is a park.

“This is Easton’s biggest public park, essentially.”

According to the groups, the day will feature cemetery tours in both English and Spanish, grave gardening tours, a creation station and a scavenger hunt for all ages.

Local organizations including the West Ward Community Initiative, Easton Garden Works, The Nature Nurture Center, the Lafayette and Easton Libraries, Family Connection and The Valley Om will offer a variety of additional activities. Visitors can also learn about pet adoption with the Center for Animal Health and Welfare.

Easton Garden Works will have their mobile Seed Library on scene, in addition to hosting games. The West Ward Community Initiative will run the scavenger hunt, and offer lessons on how to build a birdhouse.

Don’t worry about walking away all skin and bones, as snacks and goodies will be available from Big Papa’s Food Truck, The Nice Slice and Sunnie’s Bake Shoppe.

If you want to just sit back and enjoy the vibes, bring a picnic blanket or a lawn chair to enjoy some tunes from Fictional Name.

The day kicks off with outdoor yoga at the Half Moon with Brent Mackzo, followed by the “Best of Historic Cemetery Tour” at 11 a.m., the same tour en Espanol at 11:30 a.m., a horticultural tour with master gardeners at noon, and a final cemetery tour at 1 p.m. Official event hours will run concurrently with the listed activities from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m.

Friends of the Easton Cemetery and the West Ward Community Initiative are asking for suggested donations at the events to help cover costs, raise awareness about the cemetery and help offset operating costs.

The Easton Cemetery dates back to 1849, and also incorporates Easton Heights, established in 1891. The cemetery appears on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as the permanent residence of over 42,500 individuals across 86 acres.

Preserving and maintaining the location has become more difficult as time goes on, with the death care industry shifting away from higher burial revenues to cremations, which inevitably leads to historic cemeteries struggling financially.

Fundraisers like the Green Trail 5K, along with donations received at events like Community Day, help to continue programming and materials such as the self-guided tour booklets, educational programming like fourth grade field trips, and the grave gardener program.

Thanks to these unique events and the funds they raise, volunteers are able to maintain the cemetery as both a burial ground and a space for public gatherings.

Wolff admits some may find the event “kind of weird,” but said it has become decidedly less strange to her and her fellow Friends of the Easton Cemetery as other resting places host similar events.

Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, Laurel Hill Cemetery and The Woodlands in Philadelphia, and Oakland Cemetery in Mount Hope also hold community-oriented engagements to attract people to their locations, working to foster connection to the community and an interest in preserving history.

“Having bands play, hosting sort of wild type events, galas, dance parties, book readings, all kinds of things, just sort of help diversify the folks that come to the cemetery and the reasons that they’re coming,” Wolff said.

Source: lehighvalleynews.com

Whether you’re digging, raking or planting, yard work is an amazing workout. The squatting, pushing, pulling and twisting movements are great for building muscle strength, improving posture and increasing flexibility.

Gardening is also a weight-bearing activity that strengthens bones and helps prevent osteoporosis, which affects more than 28 million Americans. It also boosts mood and reduces stress.

Regional Parks is excited to see everyone this summer come out to enjoy our family-friendly park events planned at Calico Ghost Town, Guasti, Glen Helen, Mojave Narrows, Prado and Yucaipa Regional Parks.

Fill the summer days by learning how to garden or practice yoga, or bring the kids to play games or create something fun with arts & crafts throughout the afternoon (all supplies provided, while they last). If you prefer to experience the park after dark, bring the family for a movie and popcorn.

The events are included with the price of park admission and are free for campers staying with us. Regional Parks is also pet-friendly. For more information, visit parks.sbcounty.gov or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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Additional County Update News – June 2, 2023

Source: main.sbcounty.gov

Gardening is a full body exercise, especially when pulling weeds and pushing and carrying bags of mulch. By switching tasks and using different muscles, you can get a more intense workout.

Yard work is considered moderate exercise and can burn the same amount of calories as a gym session. It can also improve dexterity and strength and boosts bone density.

A transgender woman sued a New York City yoga studio on Monday after being asked to exit the women’s locker room at the studio and being told to use the men’s facilities, according to a court filing.

Ali Miles, also known as Dylan Miles, according to the complaint, is suing Hot Yoga Chelsea for $5 million after management asked Miles to exit the women’s locker room following a yoga class. 

Hot Yoga Chelsea management prohibited Miles from using the Women’s facilities, according to the filing. 

“Miles sat down with the manager and owner and specifically told the manager about Miles’ gender status, and informed that Miles most closely aligned with female gender identity and that Miles intended to and wished to use a private non-gender specific restroom and locker room.,” the filing said.

ARKANSAS LEGISLATURE APPROVES CONTROVERSIAL TRANSGENDER BATHROOM BILL

After the yoga class, Miles entered the women’s locker room and other women “complained” about Miles “presence,” according to the filing. 

This filing is the third gender-identity discrimination lawsuit Miles has filed in 13 months, the New York Post reported. 

Hot Yoga Chelsea management allegedly told Miles to use the men’s facilities after being escorted out of the women’s locker rooms.

“Miles’ use of single-gender locker room and bathroom labeled Men, made Miles suffer shame, humiliation, and frustration. Miles, against Miles’ wishes and intent, was forced to use a locker room and bathroom that was not most closely aligned with Miles’ gender,” the filing read. 

CELEBS RIP INTO NEW YORK TIMES FOR ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’ TRANSGENDER COVERAGE: DEMAND END TO ‘BOTH SIDES’ FOCUS

Fox News Digital has reached out to Hot Yoga Chelsea and Miles for comment. 

Similar incidents have emerged across the country. An 18-year-old transgender woman allegedly entered a women’s shower area in a Wisconsin high school and showered alongside three high school girls, who were allegedly showering after swimming in gym class. 

A letter sent by the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty (WILL) in April claimed that the Sun Prairie Area School District in Wisconsin has not “adequately” addressed a violation of students’ privacy rights after a transgender woman walked into a shower with four high school girls inside of it.

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WILL claimed that the girls entered the shower area with their swimsuits on to rinse off, a practice that is common after swimming in PE class. Moreover, the letter alleges that the transgender student entered the girls’ shower area, approached them, and announced, “I’m trans, by the way.” 

The letter alleges that the transgender student “undressed fully and showered completely naked right next to one of the girls.” 

“He was initially turned toward the wall but eventually turned and fully exposed his male genitalia to the four girls,” the letter said. 

Fox News Digital’s Joshua Nelson contributed to this report.

Source: foxnews.com

Gardening burns calories, increases muscle strength and helps with flexibility. It’s also a great activity to do with children.

Like other weight bearing exercise, gardening builds strong bones and can help prevent osteoporosis which affects 28 million Americans. In addition, bending, pulling and pushing movements in a yard work session increase calorie burning.

Adding a bit of mood-boosting movement into your day doesn’t have to involve a gruelling run or sweat-drenched HIIT session. 

Yoga can be a more gentle way to get active, but still holds the key to plenty of health benefits such as strengthening your body, boosting your flexibility, easing muscle aches and even relieving stress. 

yoga mat (opens in new tab) or block to make some poses more comfortable, but these are only optional extras. 

This quick practice from qualified instructor Adriene Mishler (best known for her YouTube channel Yoga With Adriene (opens in new tab)) takes just five minutes, and contains exercises designed to “work with the brain and body to help relieve stress and tension”.

Follow along with Mishler’s video below to give the routine a go. Listen out for her handy cues to help you mirror her movements and reap the benefits of the session. 

Watch Yoga With Adriene’s five-minute full body stretch

This short routine is a great way to get away from your desk and unwind if you’re working from home. It’s also a top option if you usually opt for a more intense form of exercise, offering the chance to mix things up and soothe your hard-working muscles. 

But, just because it won’t leave you breathing heavy like a session on one of the best treadmills (opens in new tab) or a high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) workout (opens in new tab), that doesn’t mean it won’t have a positive impact on your body. 

Yoga can improve strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, posture and flexibility, as well as boosting your heart health, according to the Harvard Medical School (opens in new tab). It can also benefit your mind, as our writer found out when they tried yoga every day for 30 days (opens in new tab). 

If you want to try more sessions like this, consider giving these eight anti-aging yoga moves (opens in new tab) a go. Or, if your neck and back feel sore after spending too long sitting at your desk, why not unroll your yoga mat for this six-minute tension-relieving session from Yoga With Adriene (opens in new tab). 

Source: fitandwell.com

Article

Gardening and yard work are moderate forms of exercise, burning about as many calories as a workout at the gym. It also builds strength and endurance, improves flexibility, and slows bone loss for people over 50.

Try switching between different gardening activities to target a wider range of muscles. For example, alternate between digging and raking to exercise your core.

Source: krtv.com

With gyms closed and group fitness classes canceled, people have turned to their own backyard to stay active. Gardening is not only a rewarding pastime, but it’s also a great workout.

Yard work can strengthen the major muscle groups of your legs, buttocks, arms and back. You can even tack on strength training exercises like mini squats and lunges while gardening.

Source: christianpost.com