While many people view taking care of their gardens as a chore, there are also those who take great pleasure maintaining their outdoor spaces and swear by the health benefits it brings.
Whether you’ve got an enormous garden that stretches off into the distance or just a few potted plants on your patio, the health benefits of gardening are virtually the same. So next time you’re considering putting off your gardening duties until another day, remember these health benefits:
1. Physical Workout
Activities such as mowing your lawn, raking up leaves and potting plants all burn calories, and that’s great if you’re overweight or simply trying to get a bit fitter.
2. Boosts Brain Health
In addition to providing your body with a physical workout, gardening also stimulates your brain. In fact, some studies have found that gardening can reduce a person’s risk of dementia by as much as 36%.
3. Stress Relief
Gardening can be extremely therapeutic and that’s great for relieving stress. The busy modern lifestyles we all lead mean that anything that relieves stress is a good thing.
4. Natural Antidepressant
Believe it or not, soil contains microbes which are natural antidepressants. Mycobacterium vaccae is the specific substance and it’s thought to stimulate serotonin production, which makes you feel more relaxed and happier.
5. Dietary Benefits
People who take pride in growing their own vegetables at home are inevitably a lot more conscious about what they eat. Just ask any nutritionist and they’ll tell you that fresh fruits and vegetables should be consumed every day, and where better to get said fruits and vegetables than your own garden.
6. Immune System Boost
Exposure to dirt and microbes while gardening also helps boost our immune systems. This means that gardening regularly could actually help prevent you from catching that cold that’s going round.
Comments are closed.