9 Surprising Ways In Which Gardening Can Enrich Your Health
Niharika has a passion for all things art, music, and travel and has over 4 years of experience in writing for social media. During her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen, playing vide... read full bio
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Staying fit and healthy in a time where most of us lead sedentary lifestyles can be quite a tough cookie to crack. If you’re someone who is keen on improving their fitness levels, then the first thing you’ve probably thought about is exercising or maybe even yoga. While weight lifting can help strengthen your muscles and yoga may improve your flexibility, have you ever considered picking up gardening as a hobby? Nature has a major impact on our physical and mental health and there are a lot more benefits for the body, soul and mind when you take up gardening. It’s always a good idea to spend time with nature on a daily basis and take in the world around you. For many people who live in the city, gardening and landscaping can be an escape from the hustle and bustle around you. So, to convince you to make the switch, we’ve noted down a list of nine benefits that gardening can provide you:
1. Helps Keep The Weight Down
One of the biggest benefits of gardening is that it can help you shed off a few pounds. This is probably why you see so many middle aged folks with houses take up gardening. Many studies have proven that gardening can help keep the weight down and those who garden generally have a lower body mass index than those who do not (1). Besides the physical aspect, you will be eating vegetables and fruits grown by your own hand and hence will be able to control your caloric intake better.
2. Makes Your Kids (And You) Love Vegetables
Were you that child who fakes a tummy upset each time broccoli was served? Or did you secretly feed your peas to your pet dog below the table? Well, putting in the time and effort to grow your own vegetables may change your views about them. Studies have shown that people and kids introduced to gardening started eating more vegetables and fruits. There are plenty of healthy vegetables you can grow that are absolutely scrumptious (2).
3. Provides Relief From Stress
Gardening is a great way to destress and reduce any symptoms of anxiety and depression that you may have. It gives you a chance to focus on something else and keep your mind busy with a task and goal in mind. This is helpful since there is going wrong in the world right now. Although gardening may not be an intensive cardio sweat fest, it is still providing powerful heart health benefits. In fact, gardening can lower your risk of developing a stroke or heart attack and also prolong your life. There are plenty of benefits that come from a combination of stress reduction and physical exercise (3). Weeding, pruning and watering can provide a pretty cathartic experience and something as small as tending to a plant on your desk can help you get more in touch with nature.
4. Lowers Down Your Risk Of Heart Disease
High blood pressure is something that commonly affects people and gardening may actually be able to help you manage it to a certain extent. The more time spent with plants, the more relaxed you may feel. Gardening acts as a low-intensity workout and can help reduce your levels of cholesterol and keep your heart super healthy (4).
5. Encourages Mindfulness
Mindfulness can help us stabilize our mental health and also focus on the present moment. In order to achieve this level of mindfulness, many others try out yoga and meditation. Gardening however, is one of the best forms of meditation and keeps you happy. One of the biggest benefits that gardening has is that it helps you dedicate your total attention to the task you have at hand. It also helps you get lost in what you’re doing and dedicate yourself to it (5).
6. Boosts Your Immunity
While you may think that getting dirt under your fingernails might be a sign of poor hygiene, scientists say that this could be a sign of good health. Thanks to the bacteria found in the soil, you may see an improvement in your immune system and this can help you get sick less often and fight infections off more easily (6).
7. Increases Your Hand’s Strength And Coordination
A strong grip is very important and it’s important for more than just rock climbing and grabbing onto groceries. Flexibility, coordination and hand strength are essential for daily tasks like carrying packages, picking up kids and opening jars. Gardening is the perfect way for people to hone their muscles and fine motor skills. Daily weeding for a few minutes might even help offset some of the strain caused by the use of phone swiping and typing (7).
8. Gives You A Boost Of Vitamin D
A good dose of vitamin D can increase your calcium levels and play a huge role in boosting immunity and increasing bone strength. Exposure to sunlight can help older adults and help them get the right amount of vitamin D required for the smooth functioning of the immune system and body (8).
9. Can Help With Recovery From Addiction
Horticultural therapy is something that has been around for centuries, so it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that working with plants has been a part of many addiction recovery programs. In a study, researchers had noted that plants provoked positive feelings in those who are recovering from alcoholism or other harmful drugs. Thus, it shows that there is a way for those who are dealing with problems related to addiction. Those who chose gardening were able to complete the rehab program at a much faster rate (9).
And there you have it. Gardening can work wonders on your physical health as well as your soul. It’s not just an “old person” thing to do and can be done in the tiniest of spaces. Do let us know if you are interested in picking up gardening after reading through this article in the comment section below.
