This past week I was amazed to see in the Dallas newspaper that Michelle Obama is going to plant a vegetable garden and some herbs. Two thumbs up for her. I was also thrilled to see on TV that the fifth grade class was able to get involved in the planting of this garden. I only now hope that they will continue to oversee the watering, weeding and growth of the garden. This is great for Michelle and stress relief with her busy schedule. For a child it’s educational. There is nothing like watching plants or seeds that you planted grow. (It is more fun for the children while waiting for that first vegetable to grow , they see a small vegetable and then you keep telling them it’s not ready to pick yet.) They are so excited that when the vegetable is ready to pick that they will actually eat the vegetables.
I brought my children up with small vegetable gardens and mostly grown in pots. You will get the same reaction whether the vegetables are in a pot or the ground. I am also so excited that she is bringing up her girls to eat healthy. These days it is so important for the health and well being of our children. Obesity is rampant and there are individuals such as myself that want to change things.
Just imagine if everyone started to grow at least one vegetable in a pot or in a small portion in their yard and then shared vegetables with their neighbors. Or even better yet get schools involved (some are already doing this) taking a small portion of the school yard and planting small gardens and each class taking a turn once a week to weed and water. When the vegetables are grown, because the children have had hands on, they are more apt to at least try if not enjoy what they grew.
Just remember all of you gardeners out there or those who want to start planting don’t forget to stretch afterwards. Gardening is actually working your muscles and that is a good form of exercise, so if you do not stretch afterwards there is a good chance that you will wake up sore and tender the next morning. We all have good intensions but muscles do tighten when they are put to work and they do need to be re -elongated to avoid soreness.
Ellen Miller is a Fitness Practitioner/personal trainer and the originator of the IsoBreathing program. She has been teaching lifestyle changes for almost 30 years. Sign up for her newsletter at www.isobreathing.com. Her email address is Ellen@isobreathing.com and she does answer all emails herself.
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