One of the great pleasures of gardening is the reward and satisfaction of walking among your plants and seeing the unique way you have displayed your horticultural talents. A garden is a gift you give to yourself as well as to all those who take the time to appreciate your handiwork.
Working in the garden is an excellent way to stretch your muscles and get some exercise. It is both physical and mental therapy. As sore as your muscles may become, the benefits are worth it. Take short breaks from your garden work, admire your plants, and then, recharged, continue. When you are finished for the day, you have earned a rest. Put your tools down, put your feet up, and enjoy a beverage of your choice.
Walking is also an important way to stay healthy, and walking in your garden is a pleasure. The human body has about six hundred muscles, and between 25,000 to 600,000 miles of blood vessels. The hardest working muscle is your heart. All the other muscles work as needed, but your heart beats and contracts about 100,000 times a day.
Every time you take a step, reach, bend, or just smile, muscles will contract, then relax when the task is done. Your heart is constantly pumping for a healthy circulation. Think of your muscles as auxiliary pumps to transport blood. By having them do a lot of the work, they lessen the stress on the heart. With every muscle contraction, especially in a steady rhythmic way such as walking, you move fresh blood in and waste out of your tissues. Muscles move more blood as you walk and improve your fitness. It's a win-win situation.
As the Chinese philosopher Laozi said, “A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” So how do you start the journey? Always start by warming up. A slow steady walk may be al yu nee. My rule of thumb is: If you are wearing a sweatshirt with a zipper, when you feel the warm “glow” and you sense the need to pull down the zipper, you are warmed up. Walking around your yard several times should do nicely. Comfortable shoes are a must. Take your cup of coffee with you if the ground is flat. However, if you have uneven areas in your yard, consider a walking stick for balance.
Walk at a pace that is not stressful. Enjoy the view. You should swing your arms even if you are using a stick: right hand forward when the left foot steps forward. If you really want to check your progress, learn to take your pulse—or let your smart watch do it. The target heart rate for conditioning is 100 beats per minute. If you just want to warm up, go for the “glow.”
Gardens are also great promoters of mental health. Even just a few minutes a day in your garden can reduce stress. Gardening allows the experience of “Zen” as you spend time being part of your yard. As you manipulate plants and their placement, they become a vehicle for you to travel methodically through the soil and find that place that suits you as well as them. That in turn gives you an intuitive satisfaction as to their place in your space and time. Your work around other plants, removing rocks, and weeds, to give you a creative calm and satisfaction in that moment. When you sit back and look at your work, you like what you see and how you feel.
Many people compare activity in the garden as a type of meditation, which is a journey from external activity to inner silence. For most of your life, you may be busy doing things. The operative word is “doing.” When you guide yourself into a meditative state, that gives you the opportunity to just “be,” nothing more, nothing less. You are just there in your own peaceful world. To paraphrase Deepak Chopra, MD, you remember you are a human BEING, not a human DOING.
We usually work in the garden until we are done (seldom, in my case). To get back some of the energy that you have put into your garden, try doing nothing. All you have to do is “be.” I challenge you to stop earlier in the earlier in the day—or even take some time at the beginning of the day—to appreciate the gift you gave yourself by having a garden with the relaxation that is hidden there.
Become a Master Gardener Volunteer! U.C. Master Gardeners of Napa County is now accepting applications for the class of 2025. Visit us at napamg.ucanr/edu to read the informational brochure and register to attend a mandatory information session for applicants. Applications are due September 25, 2024, at 5:00 pm.
Workshop: Join the UC Master Gardeners for a workshop on “Get Your Hands Dirty in the Pollinator Garden” on Saturday, June 29, from 10am to 12 pm, at Las Flores Community Center, 4300 Linda Vista Ave., Napa.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am until 1 pm at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number, and a brief description.
