Are you looking for healthy activities? Here are some of the benefits of gardening for everyone! Gardening is an activity that has been proven to give different physical and mental benefits to people who engage in it. Start rolling your sleeves because it’s time to get your hands dirty – start digging, planting, and weeding!
Benefits of Gardening for Everyone
Who says dirt can’t make you healthy? Oh, well, maybe just a little. Here are some Gardening benefits you should know:
1. Gardening burns calories
Gardening is considered a moderate-intensity exercise since you can burn 330 calories every 1 hour of yard work. And you know what the best thing about burning these calories is? You won’t even think of it as exercise because you are enjoying it!
In a 2013 study in the American Journal of Public Health, men and women who participated in community gardening had lowered their Body Mass Indexes (BMIs) compared to their neighbors who didn’t participate.
2. It lowers blood pressure
30 minutes of gardening a day can keep the doctor away! Thirty (30) minutes of moderate-level physical activity every day can prevent or control high blood pressure. And fauna every day, you also keep your heart healthy.
3. It’s good for your bones
When you do outdoor gardening, your skin is exposed to the sun and prompts it to produce Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, which is essential in bone formation. Vitamin D is also present in fortified foods and fish.
You are still advised to apply sunscreen to keep your skin protected.
4. It can help you eat healthier
Having healthy produce within just a few steps will help you eat healthier. Besides enjoying your labor’s fruit, you are also eating from a fresh and an all-natural resource. Clean and wholesome vegetables and fruits from your garden are better compared to commercially produced ones.
In a research made by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, gardening helps people develop eating the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables per day.
5. It’s a stress reliever
Every day, we are confronted with different stressors, and spending time with nature is one way to de-stress. Tending to our garden gives us the calm and respite that we need. Gardening has a soothing effect on it that helps us feel better after a stressful stay.
A 2017 meta-analysis in the Preventive Medicine Reports said that gardening reduced depression and anxiety symptoms based on 22 case studies.
Some hospitals even implore gardening activities as part of their rehabilitation program for people who experienced injuries, strokes, surgeries, and other conditions. This is probably because it gives people a sense of control and brings back their confidence.
6. It provides a sense of community
Gardening is right for your social well-being too. You don’t have to get dirty alone because you can do it with other people in a community garden. This can help you increase your self-esteem, reduce mood disturbance, and be in general health.
Suppose you don’t have a community garden near you. In that case, you can also join some social media groups to share and exchange your experiences and ideas with other people interested in gardening.
7. It will make you happier
You’ll have a different sense of fulfillment when you do gardening. Seeing your plants healthy, your first flower bloom, or harvest your primary produce gives you a sense of accomplishment like never before.
Gardening improves the quality of life knowing that you are nurturing something real and something alive. Seeing the fruits of your labor will give you a sense of control and a different understanding of happiness knowing you did something right.
Gardening is an exercise that keeps you healthy and happy at the same time. It gives you a win-win situation in almost every aspect of your health – lowers your blood pressure for your physical health, relieves your stress for your mental well-being, and helps you develop a sense of community for the social aspect.
If you don’t have enough area to do gardening in your current space, there will always be ways around it. Start getting your hands dirty and enjoy gardening!
For more on gardening and other fun projects you can do at home check out other Local NYC home & garden articles.
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