Green Gyms

[Chantal]

Here we go again...

BBC Breakfast are promoting Green Gyms and I've been reliably informed that one hour of digging and grubbing around on my allotment equates to one hour in the gym.

This means that I should be really skinny by the autumn, but it's never worked in the past. Perhaps it means I would be double the size if I didn't have an allotment

I confess that when I did go to the gym I was a lot fitter, but I don't have time now I dig all year long.

[vivienz]

The way I feel on Monday mornings after a good few hours down the allotment on a Sunday, I would say it's more work than the gym!
Mind you, why do we have to view everything as a form of exercise to feel good about it? I enjoy the allotment for so much more and certainly don't grow fruit and veg just to get some exercise, in the same way that I usually ride my bike there and back but because it's as quick as the car, a lot easier to park and cheaper on fuel (I think!).

Anyway Chantal, the allotment gives us mental health as well as physical fitness - gyms just depress and demoralise.
Best wishes,
Vivien

[Chantal]

I agree about the mental health, the gym didn't depress me, I enjoyed it, but WHY do they have to play such horrible music at such a high volume? Even with headphones on some equipment to plug into the TV or radio, you could still hear this horrible racket. I almost always came out with a headache.

There's nothing better for anyone than a good workout at a nice, peaceful, allotment

[oldherbaceous]

I agree with the mental health benifits of allotments, look what it's done for me.

I hope that statement doesn't suddenly cause a huge decline in people having allotments.

[lizzie]

A very good friend of mine is a psychology graduate. He is also a plot holder.

He reckons he could get millions in grants just to do a psychological study on mine and Grockies site

That is somewhat worrying...

[Di]

My gym membership bod laughed when I said i was giving up my membership as I'd rather be down my allotment now its light in the evenings - not the usual excuse I imagine.

I will probably go back in the autumn to the mindless exercise, as the allotment association refuses to install floodlights - soooo unreasonable!

[Monika]

Funny, you should raise this subject this week: I usually go to the gym on Tuesday morning, followed by a 30-minute swim, but with yesterday's weather forecast being so good, I skipped the indoor exercise and worked on the allotment all day instead! Got the first two lots of potatoes planted, prepared two long pea rows (the peas are still at home at the moment, germinating), put in the broad bean stakes, planted two lots of seed-grown onions (Rijnsburger Balstora and Spanish Red Globe) and put in new stakes for the wire netting round the brassicas which are not yet planted.
And I went swimming today instead, when it rained!

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Monika you make me feel quite guilty with the amount of work you achieved yesterday.

If you ever want a job, there will always be one here.

[Monika]

Many thanks for your kind words, OH, but my husband did the much heavier work. He mowed the steep slopes round the edge of the cricket field which adjoins our allotment site, all with a petrol-driven hover mower on a strong rope. Now THAT IS hard work. He then mowed all the allotment paths (on the whole site, not just our plot) and, having done that once or twice myself when John was incapacitated, it's a devil of the job because all the paths are either steep up and down or worse, steeply sloping sideways. I remember I had a job to keep the mower on the path without it slipping off into the beds. You might say, why on earth don't they use a different surface than grass for their paths, but that is the only surface we are allowed. Gravel or bark would simply roll down or be washed off and we are not allowed any flags.
Anyway, it all looks very smart now!

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Monika, i cut the side paths and main ride of our allotments, and i can imagine like yours they do look nice when they are done.
But i'm lucky ours are all on the level.