Gardening is great for your health and wellbeing. Gardening not only helps your physical well being but your mental health as well. This activity can help mitigate anxiety, depression, reduce stress and also high blood pressure. Furthermore, gardening can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis and help improve your immune system. Here are a few reasons why gardening can be good for you.
Helps burn calories
A lot of hard work usually goes into gardening. An hour of gardening can burn up to 330 calories at a time. When you work in the garden for up to three hours or more, you can burn almost as many calories as you would when spending an hour at the gym. Hence, many health institutes recommend investing 30-45 minutes at least three to five times per week. This can also prove to be the perfect solution for people who dislike going to the gym.
Relieves stress
Gardening is considered to be a form of exercise and can be great for individuals as it helps release endorphins in our body, the hormone which makes people feel relaxed and satisfied. Additionally, direct contact with sunlight outdoors can also encourage an improvement in your mood. It keeps individuals from feeling depressed, something which usually occurs during the winter months due to the cloudy and gloomy atmosphere.
Improves the immune system
Another advantage of being out in the sun is that it helps your body absorb vitamin D. It’s the vitamin which helps our body absorb calcium, keeps our bones strong and the immune system in good health.
Many health organizations and doctors encourage parents to allow their children to play outdoors in the dirt while helping out with the gardening. This is beneficial for them as outdoor activities expose them to more bacteria and germs which their immune systems must learn to recognize and fight against.
Boosts your mood
When you’re feeling blue, don’t reach out for that gallon of ice cream or a glass of wine. Instead, grab a shovel and go to your garden. Gardening provides a wide range of benefits for your mood, for instance, reductions in anger, anxiety and depression. Gardening has also proven to fight off stress better than any other leisurely activity, even more so than reading.
Encourages you to be more active
Gardening is an activity which gives your whole body a complete exercise. Raking and digging are considered to be high-intensity forms of exercise. Tasks such a hoeing, mulching, weeding, mixing and watering are equal to a moderately intense workout. Children taking part in a school-based gardening environment tend to show a considerable increase in their time being spent on both vigorous and moderate physical activities.
Decreases osteoporosis
This is a disease which can weaken the bones and increase the likelihood of them being broken. Thus, when you take part in gardening regularly, you ensure all your muscle groups receive a good workout by doing a lot of repetitive tasks and motions. This, in turn, helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
In general, gardening is great for your health in several different ways. It reduces the risk of heart attacks and other serious health concerns. There’s nothing better than maintaining a healthy lifestyle and getting fit while making your garden have an attractive environment which will make you want to spend more time in it.