Why we celebrate the gardens at our care homes

This June sees the return of National Gardening Exercise Day which is observed each year on the 6th June. While it may not seem like it while you’re just having a potter around in the garden, but it is a fantastic way to keep fit and active. Going backwards and forwards for your pots, carrying those bags of compost, and scooping up leaves with the rake are all hard work!

Just think, whether you’re digging, weeding, planting, pruning, raking or mowing, you’re being very active. While burning calories and maintaining muscle strength is important, gardening is also extremely therapeutic and you can see more about why the charity Mind encourages you to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine here.

At our homes, our teams have been working extremely hard planting seeds through the spring and now working on the gardens so they’re ready in full bloom for our residents and our extended Athena family to enjoy this summer. Check out some of our progress photos below!

Whether you’re doing a big refurbishment or just want to keep yourself active make sure you use these tricks while you’re gardening:

• Start slowly.  Just like any new workout program, start small and build it up from there.
• Use both of your hands and legs equally.  When raking or shovelling, remember to switch hands every few minutes to give each side a good, even workout.
• Make sure to breathe.  Deep, refreshing breaths keep your muscles supplied with oxygen.
• Lift with your legs! When lifting, bend your knees.  Don’t lift with your back.
• Drink plenty of water, especially if it’s hot
• Enjoy your garden and the time you spend in it! That’s what all the hard work is about!

Remember, gardening is accessible to everyone and there’s some really useful advice on the RHS’ website if you need to make some adjustments to a garden!