I often joke that I don’t need CrossFit or yoga that I have a garden. Pulling weeds or vines for three hours or digging a hole burns a lot more calories and it’s tremendously more fun than peddling a stationary bike in a virus filled air-conditioned room with 100 other sweaty people. Take it from me, this is from a guy that used to be a gym rat before I was married when all you do is work and exercise. I was a cyclist and a runner, lifted weights three times a week, ran 18 miles a week and rode 100 miles on my bike. No wonder I was cranky and tired in my late 20s and early 30’s!
Today’s society seems so obsessed with mindfulness between mind and body and spirit especially in a stress filled uncertain world. So many people struggle to work gym time or my time into their lives all the time wondering what it is missing from their psyche. For me I found the answer! Time with the earth helps me connect more with myself my own emotions and my faith. Getting outside puts you in touch with the weather, change of seasons, the time of day and nothing helps with stress and anxiety more than using your large muscle groups, especially for men. Also, I have found that just like nurturing children or animals that nurturing plants helps me feel more fulfilled. Its very satisfying helping something grow and flower or creating something my family can eat from our own land.
