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Rooftop gardens is a method of gardening we are starting to hear more and more about. And not only in your typical high rise city, like Chicago’s City Hall who’s gardens on the roof are open to the public by appointment. The gardens were built as part of an EPA study and initiative to combat the urban heat island effect and to improve urban air quality.

There is also, London’s secret treasure, Kensington Gardens,  a protected historic preservation site. These rooftop gardens were created on top of what was a department store in 1932 to give shoppers a scenic resting spot.

Whether it is a green quiet getaway or a garden for raising your own food you can grow if your structure can support the garden’s weight. The sky is the limit, get it? The sky… roof top… growing toward the light… ooooooh okay, but just LOOK at what some are doing!!

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Rooftop Gardens

Vertically Vegetated Buildings

Chic City Gardens

One of the key ingredients for a great life is good health and good health is derived from good nutrition. One part of good health is exercising right and the other is to eat right. The risk of acquiring diseases can be reduced by controlling the diet and the amount of intake of certain foods. While most of us eat for taste, we forget the nutrition value of the same.

Fruits: Why Fruits? To start with, they are the most natural form of food. Most fruits contain water, fiber, proteins and vitamins that are required for our day to day life and they are fat and cholesterol free. Citrus fruits can help detoxify your body. Eating fruits directly may have a better health effect as opposed to fruit juices that are concentrated and may have higher sugar levels, which may not be the best for the body. Organic fruits are any day better than the fruits that undergo hybridization.

Vegetables: They are a very vital part of our diet. Raw or cooked, vegetables must always be washed before consuming. Vegetables contain anti oxidants that can reduce the risk of diseases. Seasonal vegetables are no longer a concern, as most vegetables are available in a frozen form. Leafy vegetables are high in Iron and Calcium and Vitamins, although they must be stored in the right manner to make the most of their nutrition value.

Fat: It is the richest source of calories in our diet. Fat is required for our body as they produce essential fatty acids. They are good source of Vitamin E and also help in nervous system functioning. They could also give you a healthy hair and skin J . A daily diet should contain at least 25-30% of fat. Excess consumption of food containing fat could result in gaining weight.

Liquids: Water is the most essential element for survival. Water is Vital for metabolism and digestion. Lack of the right amount of water can lead to malfunctioning of the body. On any given day, the human body needs at least 7-8 glasses of water to carry out proper functioning in the body.
Milk: is a rich source of Calcium and is good for the bones. Most people do not consume milk because of the fat quotient present in it, however, these days low fat and fat free milk, yogurt and cheese is available for consumption.

Negative Calorie Foods: These are foods that contain less energy but they require the body to use extra energy to digest them. Negative Calorie foods when consumed moderately can help reduce weight. To name a few, Celery, Lettuce Zucchini, Black berries, Guavas etc.

All of the above are essential for the human body. Good health comes with knowing what you are eating and eating it right.

Health is a blessing that money cannot buy

Organic Gardening

If you love your garden as much as I do and you have backache, pinched sciatic nerve symptoms, sciatica or one of the many back pain issues you may be wondering if you can ever garden again. Gardening can be hard on the back and I thought I would have to give it up forever. However I discovered that is not necessarily the case…

• Gardening is a very physical activity but there are lots of things you can do to make it easier. Even if you really cannot do the physical work you can still take a very active part in your garden. Also gardening is a great motivator. If you want to do your garden and you are dealing with back aches and pains you are much more likely to keep up with any back pain exercises and be diligent about looking after your back.

• First do check with your healthcare professional to make sure it is safe for you to do gardening activities and if there is anything you should absolutely avoid doing.

• It is vital if you have back pain and pinched sciatic nerve symptoms that you try to get to the root cause of your pain and treat that along with the symptoms to get lasting relief. Learn as much as you can and ask lots of questions. Feel free to visit my website at www.mypetback.com for back pain solutions, information, suggestions and inspiration. Never give up looking for your solution.

• Look at your garden with a critical eye from your “bad backs” perspective and if necessary consider a redesign. This is something everyone can do and many gardeners do anyway once in a while. If you have persistent backache, back pain or disc problems you just need to take a few more things into account. You know your back like no one else does. Evaluate what jobs you find difficult and will hurt you and which are fine for you. Listen to your body and let that be your guide.

• Consider a low maintenance garden. Plant so that there are no bare patches of earth where the weeds can grow. Less weeding equals less bending and less backache. Go for low maintenance plants and shrubs. Concentrate plants needing more attention in one area and consider a raised bed for them so less stooping for your back. Place the area nearer to your house or your garden shed. Your tools will be closer to hand that way.

• Scented plants are fantastic in raised beds for everyone to enjoy. You can even grow great vegetables in large raised beds and have more control over the environment and soil. Raised beds at waist height mean little or no bending for a bad back. If you have a small lawn, consider gravelling it or using chamomile or other lawn plants.

• When you first get back pain your garden can suffer as you deal with the initial pain. If your garden has done its own thing for a while you need to take it in hand. If family or friends cannot help, consider getting a company in to do the hard graft for you then you can concentrate on doing the finishing touches. If you share a garden or have an allotment consider asking if people would swap tasks with you so you do more of some things for them and they do more of say digging for you, it’s worth a try!

• Consider a series of raised beds with paths in between so you can move easily between them to tend your plants without too much bending or overreaching your back. Don’t make the beds too wide as you need to comfortably reach them.

• When gardening with back pain issues warm up first. Do any back pain exercises you have been following, go for a short walk and treat it like you are getting ready for some real physical activity …which you are. If it helps you use a heat pad while you are gardening to keep the muscles in your back warm and less prone to injury. After gardening do your stretches again and get into a warm bath or shower as soon as you can.

• Frustrating as it is, do a little, rest then do a little more. I used to be an all day gardener but now I respect my back and listen to any little aches and pains and stop before it needs to shout at me! Vary the activity so you don’t do repetitive tasks which put a strain on your lower or upper back. So mix it up with a little weeding, trimming, pruning etc.

• What a pain it is when you just want that big pot moving a couple of yards. Do wait until you can get someone else to do it. It is not worth aggravating your recovery from back pain for the sake of a little patience.

• Let someone know you are in the garden working. If you do overstrain your back you will want the comfort of knowing someone will be checking on you from time to time if necessary.

• Consider some of the many tools you can buy to help you if you have general backache, pinched sciatic nerve symptoms, upper or lower back pain. A small investment in some good quality tools will ease strain on your back and mean you can be independent in your gardening

• If the physical work is really too much for your bad back at this stage you can do all the design, planning, ordering and task list. Teach others how to do what you know so they too can grow from the experience and learn to love gardening. Visit gardening forums and pass on your knowledge. For the year I could not do any gardening due to my low back pain and sciatica symptoms I taught my husband, following him round every inch and he went from being not at all interested to now loving it. Now I just need to get my garden back!

• Always think what you CAN DO not what you can’t do. Just because you have back pain and pinched sciatic nerve symptoms you do not need to give up your garden. Work out a way you and your back can enjoy it together…

Article Source: http://www.firstclassarticles.net/