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Hi everybody.

Well, that was really exciting!

Samuel, from Brida Fitness, stopped by a few days ago, and, yes, he had a cup of coffee with us as well.

Dead pleased we were, spending some time with such a lush looking man. He, Tatiana, and I touched on something curious that we thought we would share with you.

Now, I do have to say, I am no fitness expert, so before you jump right in, if you have any issues with your fitness, get some medical advice first.

Samuel tends to combine his gardening with a fitness workout.

This might be even more appealing than pumping iron in a room somewhere. For me, the scenery is much more beautiful anyway. He stressed you need to stick to the basic rules to avoid injuries.

He starts his garden workout with stretching exercises for about five to ten minutes. As he wanders around, inspecting his garden, he stretches his body. He deliberately bends down to look at something more closely or reaches up to touch the branch of a tree. Samuel loves touching his vegetation because it gives him a true sense of connection.  He works at a steady pace, keeping his heart rate stable.

Samuel also recommends working in intervals of 20 minutes and then stretching again. This helps you remain flexible and protects you from back pain.

He is experienced enough to know how long he needs for different jobs, so he matches his gardening routine with an exercise routine. However, he recommends using an alarm if you need to do something which takes longer, and you find yourself lost in work. Should you feel a strain in your muscles, then it’s time to move to another job. In fact, this is quite important, according to Samuel. He combines tasks and different body postures.  He uses all the muscles without overworking any one particular muscle. It gets more individual jobs done, which he finds, makes gardening less of a chore and more fun.

Not only can he appreciate the end result, but he also feels great about how he managed to get to it.

Who likes doing nothing but weeding? Well, we certainly don’t. So, ten minutes of walking around admiring your garden; then twenty minutes weeding followed by, say, trimming the hedge; followed by something else; hey, you have done three jobs and had an hour’s workout.

But he does also stress little details. When you are doing something that only requires the use of one hand, try to switch hands every few minutes so that both sides of the body are used equally.

One thing that he also kept stressing was that we must bend our knees. In fact, he really scolded me when we toured the garden centre, and I had to pick something up and didn’t bend down properly. Perhaps, I did it on purpose because he is so sweet when he tells me off. His eyes always twinkle.

And he actually gave me an idea when we sell rakes and hoes. From now on, we will discreetly look at our customer’s height and make sure they are buying the correct length of the handle.

When you can’t move the next day because your back is killing you, well, we all suffer. 

Now, imagine you’re in the gym and lifting all those metal weights. Personally, that doesn’t really excite me. Have a look at it this way: when you lug around those compost bags, all those garden tools, it all adds up.

When you hold the tools for a long time, they really do make your muscles work. Raking and cutting really strengthen your upper arms. When you slightly exaggerate the movements, you can also pay attention to how your muscles are being used. Bingo! You really have killed two birds with one stone.

If you do follow Samuel’s advice, you will definitely feel better. Do not crash on the sofa once you have finished. Samuel strolls around the garden again, checks on his work and admires his garden. It is such a reward to feel good physically and mentally.

When all is done, it is time to sit down, have a little refreshment and enjoy the serene feeling that comes with getting your circulation going and working out.

Samuel said he’d drop by again soon. Can’t wait!

Don’t forget our chat and coffee time at the Brida Garden Centre. It’s such fun meeting and spending time with you all. See you soon!

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