7 Health Benefits Of Gardening
Gardening Health Benefits
The questions, ‘What are the benefits of gardening?’ and ‘How does gardening make you feel?’ are often asked by those of us who are curious why so many seem to get so much pleasure from something which seems so banal. True it is that gardening does indeed have many benefits, some of which are physical and some psychological. Here are just 7 health benefits that gardening gives you, although there are many more.
1. Calories
Just one hour of gardening can burn off in excess of three hundred calories, which is equivalent to two regular cans of beer, or a modest-sized candy bar. That might not sound like much but over time it can have a real impact and could provide you with an excellent, low-intensity alternative to the sweaty, artificial environment of a gym. Of course, doing more than one hour or doing more strenuous tasks such as using your cordless lawn mower or wheelbarrow, could yield even more impressive results.
2. Mood
Mental illness is hitting the headlines like never before, and we are more immersed in interior environments with screens gazing back at us like never before. Coincidence? Gardening has been proven to help produce endorphins, the hormone that leads people to feel happy and content. Increased exposure to sunlight, textures, and smells could help combat mental health problems like Seasonal Affective Disorder, something which can be brought on by a lack of sunlight.
3. Immune
The extra vitamin D you consume thanks to being outdoors, is good for you and can help your body take on board more calcium, thus improving your bone strength and immune system. There is even some solid research coming out that suggests that keeping vitamin D levels topped up actively reduces your risk of contracting Covid-19, which is obviously great news. And you don’t need to be getting it lazily or passively, for the very activity of using your hedge trimmers can give you a sense of purpose and satisfaction.
4. Anger management
We live in an age in which it is very little we can control, very much that controls us; traffic, computers, stock markets, politics, all seem to pass us by. However, when you eliminate some much-hated weeds, or blast away some creeping mildew with your trusty garden hose, it is a cheap and healthy form of anger management. In fact, rather than simply destroying, your anger is being channeled into helping your garden grow, which is a much more positive mindset in which to end up.
5. Fruit and Veg
There are countless studies that suggest that eating plenty of greens and fruits is great for your digestive tracts, blood sugar levels, and numerous other bodily attributes. The great thing about gardening is that you are personally involved in the production of these gifts, and after planting the seeds and clearing the weeds have merely but to swivel your hose nozzle and let photosynthesis do the rest. You also have something to give to relatives and friends, and can even start to take an interest in canning and pickling, which could save you or your loved ones money at the grocery store.
6. Osteoporosis
This bone-weakening disease is debilitating and means it is more likely for you to get broken bones and for them to take longer to heal when broken. Regular gardening, with its slow, low-intensity repetitiveness is ideal in helping you ensure all your main muscle groups are getting a decent work-out. This will lower the chances of you getting this terrible disease.
7. Dementia
This is a syndrome that has a detrimental effect on our faculties of reasoning, memory, and a whole range of other cognitive tasks. Research points to the positive impact that gardening can have on dementia, with studies concluding that those people above the age of sixty who garden regularly are at least a third less likely to develop dementia when compared against their non-gardening peers.
If nothing else, gardening gives you a sensory overload in terms of taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell, so is well worth the investment. It might be that you are someone who just likes to mow the lawn, trim the hedge and prune the branches. It matters not. What matters is that you get out there and dwell awhile in your garden. It will do you good.
Sources:
- Health Benefits of Gardening – UF|IFAS
- The Health Benefits of Gardening – React – Cornell Blogs
- The Profound Health Benefits of Gardening – University of Vermont
- The Health Benefits of Gardening – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
- What Are the Physical and Mental Benefits of Gardening? – MSU Extension