In fact, a positive association with gardening was observed for a wide range of health outcomes, such as reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, stress, mood disorders and BMI, as well as increasing quality of life, sense of community, levels of physical activity and function cognitive. Everything you dig, plant and weed burns calories and strengthens your heart. Research has found that gardening is good for the brain. Being close to plants can help you be more productive and creative.
Gardening Can Improve Your Cognitive Performance and Memory. And research has found that gardening can help protect against or treat dementia. Why does gardening seem to be so beneficial to health? Combines physical activity with social interaction and exposure to nature and sunlight. Sunlight lowers blood pressure and increases vitamin D levels in summer,42 and the fruits and vegetables that are produced have a positive impact on the diet.
Working in the garden restores dexterity and strength, and the aerobic exercise involved can easily consume the same amount of calories as would be spent in a gym. Digging, raking, and mowing lawns are particularly calorie-intensive; 43 there's a gym outside many windows. Social interaction provided by community and therapeutic garden projects for people with learning disabilities and poor mental health can counteract social isolation. In addition, it has also been reported that the social benefits of these projects may delay symptoms of dementia44 (an effect that could be partly due to the beneficial effects of exercise).
Patients recovering from myocardial infarction or stroke find that exercising in a garden, using paretic limb restriction therapy, for example45 is more effective, enjoyable and sustainable than therapy in formal exercise settings. For some patients, gardening can even lead to employment. There are also successful plans involving volunteers to help seniors who cannot manage their gardens, and both the volunteer and the owner benefit from social interaction and products and a shared interest. Gardening allows you to get out in the fresh air and in the sun, and it also makes your blood move.
You know that plants need sunlight, but did you know that your body needs it too? Like other outdoor leisure activities, gardening can provide a double dose of healthy exercise and sun exposure. A moderate amount of time in the sun is the most effective way to get vitamin D, which influences more than 1000 different genes and almost every tissue in the body and impacts everything from metabolism to the immune system. Vitamin D Linked to Positive Effects in Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease, Bone Health, and Depression. The gut can also feel the benefits, because vitamin D is thought to help regulate gastrointestinal distress.
Of course, it's important to remember to take precautions to safely spend time in the sun. If you have very little space or experience, you can start with just a few indoor plants, or you can even try pot gardening. However, to argue that yes, gardening is good for the soul, you can look for some of the general mental health and spiritual benefits of gardening. For novices who want to learn the basics of gardening, there is a huge (and somewhat overwhelming) variety of information available on the Web and in bookstores.
Few complementary therapies have been convincingly proven to be effective, but gardening and nature, which are alternative therapies, offer a proven, inexpensive and almost universally available means of improving the nation's health. Therapeutic gardens have been used in hospitals for thousands of years and were strongly supported by Florence Nightingale; they improve the environment for patients, visitors and staff. Combine all of these beautiful health benefits and you could definitely argue that gardening is in fact good for the soul. If you're looking for a feel-good way to improve your physical and mental health, consider gardening.
If you have problems with back pain but want to start (or continue) gardening, invest in a foam knee brace or knee pads and take some time to stretch before working in the garden. Swapping your BlackBerry for blackberry bushes is a great way to combat stress and attention fatigue, Taylor says, as the rhythms of the natural environment and the repetitive, relaxing nature of many gardening tasks are effortless sources of attention. Perhaps on the simplest level, gardening is a practical hobby that gives you something to look forward to. Your garden can start small with a few pots and containers or even a planter with some suitable cuttings or herbs.
In one study, students who participated in school gardens took photos of their work and shared what they experienced. Korean researchers performed 20-minute gardening activities for people undergoing dementia treatment at an inpatient center. . .
