Earth and Heart Healthy Exercise

Walking is not only good for your heart and overall health, but it's an exercise that can be considered "Earth Healthy" by virtue of the fact that it is an exercise that has a low impact on the Earth.  Let's think about it...there's no need to drive to the gym, so there's no carbon impact...you can simply walk out your front door!  The equipment that you need, your left and right leg, a bottle of water to stay hydrated (of course you should opt for a previously purchased reusable water bottle ), and a pair of sneakers which you probably already have, also have a low impact on the Earth.  Because you need very little equipment, it is easy to fit in a walk during a quick break at work, at the beach, in the mountains, in the city, in the park, on vacation, in the morning, in the afternoon, or in the evening...you get the idea, you can walk anytime, almost anywhere! 

Young or old, lace up and put one foot in front of the other!  Walking for a minimum of 30 minutes, or fitting in 2 - 15 minute sessions with a goal of approximately 150 minutes/week will reap many health benefits such as:

• improving circulation
• combating depression
• bolstering the immune system
• helping to prevent osteoporosis
• helping to prevent and control diabetes
• helping to control weight 
• helping lower blood pressure

I choose to walk with my friend Beth, and we help motivate each other to get moving even when we don't feel like it.  Another huge benefit of walking with Beth is that we talk and vent, which makes the miles fly by.  Our walking sessions often double as therapy sessions as we both chat about the kids, their activities, work, husbands, goals, friends, family, household happenings, dreams, hopes, etc.  I've actually learned some things about myself by chatting aloud to Beth, and listening to her welcome advice.  An additional benefit is seeing the "sites" in our community; checking out the changes in the neighborhoods where we walk, exploring new areas, and admiring the gardens that we pass along the way.

Walking helps to keep us healthier in mind, body, and spirit and I'm happy to be reaping these benefits while chatting with my friend and treading lightly on the Earth :)  


Sources:  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ01612
http://www.walkinginfo.org/why/benefits_health.cfm 
http://www.walk-magazine.com/

Tending the phlox

Creeping phlox in bloom at my house, April 2011

Leggy creeping phlox with brown areas

Gently pull on dead leggy sections

A little "hair cut" may be necessary for lush growth

So today it was a bit raw out, but spring was in the air, and I could see that some of my creeping phlox was beginning to show signs of buds awakening.   The prospect of my phlox budding was enough incentive for me to ignore the chill and get busy working in the garden.  And as always, there is tons of work to be done!

Part of today's job was to tend the phlox and get it ready for it's springtime show.  Tending the phlox sounds kind of biblical, doesn't it?



Well the bright blooms that grace my yard, are definitely gifts from God to be sure, and I look forward to the brilliant colors every year. 

My beautiful creeping phlox comes in several colors, light pink, hot pink, light purple, and medium purple and for me it is the highlight of my spring garden.  It's very hardy, and spreads easily via rhizomes or runners, and I usually try to break off some pieces and relocate it to other areas of the garden (gotta love rhizomes and perennials!)


Today the phlox needed some tending so that it would look it's showiest in the next few weeks. There are sections that drape over our timber retaining wall, and those sections sometimes get "leggy", or kinda gangly with brown patches.  I assume that parts of it get leggy as it flows over the wall because the rhizomes aren't in contact with the ground, and therefore can't put out roots into the soil to soak up nutrients.   

Trimmed and ready for the spring show!

Showy springtime creeping phlox 2011

Although some of the leggy parts are brownish and look dead, I've noticed that sometimes the ends of it are still perfectly green, and when I give it a "hair cut", the thin leggy pieces are still green inside the rhizome.  These brownish somewhat greenish leggy castoffs are often the perfect pieces to try to save since it's still alive.  I take the castoff cuttings to another section where I'd like to grow phlox, and pull back some dirt or mulch, pat it down, replaced the dirt and mulch and give it a drink.   If it takes great!  And if not, it was worth a try, and with the mulch in place you can barely tell.  In my experience, the odds are good that it will take, and next spring you'll have even more of this showy springtime wonder gracing your wall, border, or rock garden.  Happy tending and Happy Spring!

Tweet, Tweet!

No, I'm not talking about the 140 character or less posting, or update on Twitter.  I'm talking about the sounds of the birds that are twitter-patted and excited about the warm weather, building their nests, and mating.  As I was cleaning out a patch of garden yesterday, the sounds of the birds struck me, and made me smile even more.  To me, the sounds of birds herald spring, and this spring has come earlier than usual, with record 80+ degree weather here in the Boston area in March! March is the time of year I start to watch for my favorite bird, the Eastern Blue Bird. 

If you want to do something nice for the birds, and encourage them to come to your yard, why not put out some nesting material for them and help them along.  Nesting material can be as simple as grasses or material cleaned out of the flower beds, thread, string, dryer lint, bits of yarn, etc.   http://alacartegreen.blogspot.com/2010/04/for-birds.html

M is for Mycobacterium vaccae...

Over Columbus Day weekend, I was able to get outside and do some gardening, and reconnect with the Earth.  I collected some hot peppers, green beans, some tomatoes, the last of the cucumbers from the garden, and did some cleanup too.  
  
I also was able to plant a few perennials that my mother and sister shared with me, mowed some of the lawn, did a little bit of pruning, and dug up and replanted some perennials that were crowded.  It felt so good to be digging in the dirt!  Working in the garden always makes me happy; I love the exercise, I love the results, and I love the DIY factor.  And, I feel better when I work in the garden for good reason.


As mentioned previously in my blog, I read about 
research at Bristol University and University College London.  Researchers there have discovered that the harmless, naturally occurring soil bacteria Mycobacterium vaccae helps elevate your mood.   Christopher Lowry, a neuroscientist at the University of Bristol in England, thinks that "the bacteria activate immune cells, which release chemicals called cytokines that then act on receptors on the sensory nerves to increase their activity."  Mycobacterium vaccae, may also be able to alleviate depression, and activate serotonin-releasing neurons in the brain.   

So, gardening does lift my mood, and weeding, digging in the garden, planting, etc. could help get you in a good mood too.  Even a walk in the woods may do the trick because scientists believe that simply inhaling the bacteria results in a healthy dose.  Lowry indicates, “you can also ingest mycobacteria either through water sources or through eating plants—lettuce that you pick from the garden, or carrots."  So what are you waiting for?  Get out there and get down and DIRTY and in the process enjoy some natural prozac in the form of a small bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae.   

Lowry's Study “Identification of an Immune-Responsive Mesolimbocortical Serotonergic System: Potential Role in Regulation of Emotional Behavior,” by Christopher Lowry et al., published online on March 28 in Neuroscience.

Sources:  http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jul/raw-data-is-dirt-the-new-prozac, http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-04/uob-gdm033007.php

Everyone loves suprises

Everyone loves surprises, right? 

Well, my compost has provided me with some fun surprises over the years.  How did the compost give back this time?  Recently I composted directly under a tree that was in need of some organic TLC, and then added some grass clippings on top of it.  Later I added bark mulch on top to pretty it up.  The other day, as I walked by the tree I notice some dark green seedlings and chuckled to myself.  A few days later, there was a strange mound under the tree, and when I took a closer look, I saw that more seedlings were pushing up on the mulch creating the mound.  I dug down and found the cast off seed pods.  I'm pretty sure they are butternut squash seeds.  If I am correct about the seeds,  it looks like the yummiest butternut squash soup scraps have resulted in a bunch of healthy seedlings, and hopefully more yummy squash.  

It's not the first time that the compost has given back either!  In the past, I composted into a corner of the garden, and we ended up with a cantaloupe plant that yielded some small but tasty melons.  Since the garden was reconfigured I can't compost into the corner, but this year I already found some tomato seedlings from some cherry tomatoes that fell to the ground last year.  It's always fun to get surprises, and I'm excited to find out if the surprise seedlings will really be squash.  Stay tuned! 

Green Gardening

Ahhh spring, and gardening...I love to spend time in my gardens, both my flower gardens and vegetable garden.  I get such pleasure from looking at the flowers, and later on, eating the fresh, organically grown veggies.  But as any gardener will tell you, weeds also come with the territory.  I spend a lot of time weeding instead of pouring toxic chemicals on my lawn and flower beds.  One of my favorite tools is my weeder, and that's just how I get the dandelions :)  One at a time, a few a day, green babysteps!  Try it!!  Weeding can actually be therapeutic if you think of it that way instead of drudgery...it's a time to reflect and listen to the birds, and the wind, and savor being outside in nature :)   http://www.amazon.com/Ames-True-Temper-Weeder-1983800/dp/B00004S1ZK/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=garden&qid=1272338528&sr=1-15