Health & Fitness – September 2005

5 ways to feel good!

How do you keep that sunshine-happy feeling all year round? Tracey Smith asks the experts for five practical ways to help you feel happy, creative and fabulously carefree.

Number 4: GREEN FINGERS
Getting out in the sunshine with the grass beneath your feet never fails to lift your spirits. It removes you from the stresses and strains of everyday life, helps you connect with your spiritual side and blows away the cobwebs…As well as being great for your spirit, gardening’s surprisingly good exercise too. ‘Gardening has great calorie-burning potential,’ says personal trainer Laura Williams.’You can expect to burn up to 300 calories for half an hour’s vigorous digging – the same energy expenditure as running for 30 minutes at around six miles per hour. Using a lawnmower or hedge clippers burns up to 400 calories an hour. Digging will work your shoulders and back, creating tone and definition,’ adds Williams. ‘Squatting down while weeding works your glutes and tops of your thighs.’ So don’t see the garden as a chore –think of it as a gym free session.

To book a session or to find out how Laura can help you get into shape, email her at laura@laurawilliamsonline.co.uk

Or call her on 07712 001525.