Flowers are such a vibrant expression of Nature's beauty that it's rare to find a single human being who doesn't respond to them. Not only do they come in every color of rainbow, from most vibrant purples to subtlest of pastels, but their shapes vary dramatically, from sculptured beauty of a rose to cartoon-like forms of bird of paradise and sunflower. And as well as stimulating our visual senses, their scents are source of every perfume in existence.

Does just thinking about it make you sweat? I am sure majority of are nodding your heads in agreement. What I am about to suggest only takes a slight change in your thinking and a bit of planning and you can learn how to lose weight and get in better shape while gardening this year.

For those of you that are already gardeners, you know that gardening is one of best ways to get exercise because it involves all of muscle groups in your body.

Like I mentioned earlier, we only need to change way you think about outside chores. See I am falling into trap too, I just called them chores. Instead, you should think of them as outdoor exercises that are designed to enhance condition of your body and help you lose weight.

As with any exercise program, check with your doctor before starting. Make sure you are dressed properly and that you stretch before beginning.

If you aren’t used to exercising in garden or have been relatively inactive all winter, start slowly. Start with weeding, watering, and planting seeds.

As you feel yourself getting stronger you can increase your gardening repertoire to include: pruning, heavy digging, hoeing, pushing a loaded wheelbarrow, or mowing lawn. I think you get idea because list of outdoor gardening exercise ideas is endless!

Even carrying plants or a bag of potting soil to car from store and then out into yard is exercise! You can potentially burn up to 300-600 calories per hour depending on your intensity and which gardening exercises you engage in.

You CAN lose weight by gardening ~ eat less and move more! The following list shows what a typical man weighing 180 pounds will burn in 30 minutes of activity. If you weigh more you can burn even more calories!

• Watering lawn/garden~ 61
• Raking~ 162
• Bagging leaves~ 162
• Planting seeds/seedlings~ 162
• Planting trees~ 182
• Weeding ~ 182
• Clearing Land ~ 202
• Digging, spading, tilling~ 202
• Laying Sod~202
• General gardening~ 202
• Chopping wood~ 243
• Gardening with heavy power tools~ 243
• Mowing lawn with a push mower~ 243
• Shoveling snow~ 243
• Shoveling heavy snow~ 364 cals