Gardening provides aerobic, muscle-strengthening and stretching physical activity. Digging, raking, lifting, and squatting all burn calories and depending on the distance covered, gardening can add significant steps to your day. Although the number of calories burned varies depending on your age, gender, weight, metabolism, and intensity, an hour in the garden can burn between 200-400 calories.
Building on last year's success of the Williams Street Community Garden, WMHS will help support additional community gardens this year.
To help you with your home garden, University of Maryland Extension is teaching gardening classes at WMHS during May and June, including:
• Strawberries for the Home Garden on May 17 from 6 – 7 pm in WMHS auditorium rooms 5 and 6
• Know your Garden Friends and Foes on May 31 from 6-7 pm in WMHS auditorium rooms 5 and 6
• Raspberries for the Home Garden on June 14 from 6-7 pm in WMHS auditorium rooms 1 and 2.
To register, contact the University of MD Extension at 301-724-3320.
Even if you don’t plant your own garden, you can still enjoy the fresh flavors of local produce. WMHS will again host a farmers market on the ground level of the parking garage every Wednesday beginning on July 6th. And beginning at the end of May or beginning of June, farmers markets will be held in downtown Cumberland on Thursdays, at the Canal Place/Train Station in Cumberland on Saturdays, at the mall in LaVale on Tuesdays and at City Place in Frostburg on Fridays.
For more information, contact Theresa Stahl, RDN, LDN, WMHS Outpatient Community Dietitian at tstahl@wmhs.com or 240-964-8416.
