How Gardening Can Be Unexpectedly Good For Your Health

Since time immemorial, humans have loved gardens. The connection between humans and nature has existed for much longer than any of us, and from the days of hunter-gatherers to our modern obsession with houseplants, we've always had a green thumb. And our love of flower care and spending time picking vegetables never seems to fade. According to GlobeNewswire, three-quarters of all American households spend time, energy, and money on gardens, with $ 2.5 billion spent annually on gardens in the United States (according to the Horticultural Society, via Your Green Pal).

But here's the problem. Gardening can be a fun and peaceful hobby and a great way to bring fresh produce to your plate, but why do we like it so much? Because it is very good for your health. You may not think it, but growing plants in your garden can offer you many health benefits and we are here to bring them to you. So take a shovel and let's go inside.

Gardening is good for the heart

We all know that gardening is good for the soul, but did you know that it is also very good for the heart? It's easy to forget, but gardening is a physical activity and all that movement provides an outlet for exercise, "said Robert Hutchins, MD of UNC Health, via UNC Health Talk." Flowering is hard work and has numerous cardiovascular benefits, ”says Hutchins. Research also shows that gardening, along with other household chores and DIY projects, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and complications in older adults (according to WebMD).

In fact, it might surprise you how much gardening can increase heart rate and burn calories. By growing your garden, planting flowers and herbs, and pulling weeds, you can see yourself burning up to 400 calories per hour, according to WebMD. Even the toughest jobs, like gardening or garbage picking, can burn up to 600 calories per hour. If you want to complicate things, hand tools always consume more energy than electric ones, so switch to a regular motorized edge trimmer. You'll probably save some money by doing this too!

Reduce the symptoms of anxiety

We all know that the garden is a great place for many people, but it's amazing how simple gardening can affect anxiety symptoms. A meta-analysis published in Preventive Medicine Reports examined the general effects of gardening on health, with a focus on its impact on mental health. In several studies, scientists have found that gardening can reduce anxiety and benefit people with other mental illnesses, such as depression.

So why is gardening so good for anxiety? According to Anxiety.org, it's about being in nature and doing tasks as you do them. Non-working hours will help you control your emotions and thus keep your anxiety under control. Spending time in the park without distractions allows you to be more aware and immersed in your physical environment, which makes mindfulness a useful treatment for anxiety and depression.

Gardening with children can help them eat more vegetables.

There are some universal truths in this world, but one thing, along with the daily sunrise and sunset, is the almighty duty of getting your kids to eat vegetables. And we understand that until we know the nutritional value of seeds and vegetables, it won't be easy to sell them. But we have some good news for you: One of the best ways to encourage kids to eat is to send them to the garden. A study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Eating and Physical Activity followed several thousand school-age children for a year, when a school gardening program combined with nutrition and cooking instructions ate more vegetables overall. . This can lead to better lifestyle habits.

It is important to remember that it is more important for your children to eat vegetables than to tell them to eat five vegetables a day. Vegetables protect your children's health by providing essential antioxidants, fiber and vitamins and reducing the risk of chronic disease (according to Raising Children Network).

Regular gardening will make your arms stronger

elderly man working in the garden with his grandson

Gardening can be truly relaxing and relaxing, but don't underestimate the hard work you put into gardening. And all that physical work can benefit one part of your body in particular: your arms. This is especially true of seniors, Kansas State University researchers found in a study published in HortScience. "We found that seniors who worked as landscapers had greater arm and grip strength, which is of greater concern as they get older," Kandice Shoemaker, a professor of horticulture at Kansas State, told Science Daily.

It is also important to note that the tasks included in this study are not particularly difficult or complex, but rather common gardening tasks, such as filling pots and mixing soil. After the study, the researchers also found that the people who participated had higher self-esteem. Although the study group was small, Shoemaker says that with a larger group of people, one would expect to see more benefits, "even in areas like sleep quality and life satisfaction."

Gardening will increase vitamin D levels

Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, can be very low for many Americans, with more than 40 percent of Americans deficient, according to a study published in the journal Nutrition Research. But one of the best ways to boost vitamin D levels is to go out and garden. According to a study published in PLoS One, regular gardening is effective in reducing vitamin D deficiency in the elderly, regardless of the time of year. Other activities, such as cycling, have been found to increase vitamin D levels.

This makes a lot of sense considering you get more natural light when you are in the garden. And it's important to remember the huge impact vitamin D has on health. Getting enough vitamin D is important for maintaining bone health and reducing fracture risk, which should be considered for the elderly (according to Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health). Adequate levels of vitamin D are also important for the proper functioning of the immune system and can even reduce the risk of death altogether.

It will help you build muscle.

So we don't recommend gardening above the gym if you're looking to build abs and biceps. But there's no denying that regular gardening is great for toning your muscles. When gardening, do lots of full-body exercises, as well as smaller exercises that involve all major muscle groups, Maryland GPs explain. When you carry a bag of poop from place to place and drag it around a wheelbarrow or garbage can, you perform a movement similar to lifting weights at the gym. And anything that includes a distant flower bed will also give your muscles a good stretch.

Remember, though, that just like with weight lifting, it's important not to overdo it. Make sure you rest, perform each movement carefully, without straining one muscle group or neglecting another. And always make sure, as with any sport, that you are in good shape when gardening; the last thing you want is to lift a heavy bag of mulch and lose your leg and get hurt.

Gardening can help boost your immune system

Maintaining a strong immune system is one of the most important things you can do for your health. But how can you boost your immune system ? According to The Healthy, along with proper nutrition, regular exercise, and adequate sleep, regular gardening is one way to achieve this. And it's about getting your hands dirty.

A study published in MicrobiologyOpen examined how direct skin-to-soil contact can affect the immune system. To do this, study participants rubbed dirt and plant material on their hands and then tasted their skin to examine the diversity of the skin microbiome, an important factor in the fight against disease. The researchers found that when the participants came into contact with dirt and grime, their skin microbiome was higher, which has a positive effect on immunity. Although this effect appears to be short-term in nature, the researchers suggest that more research should be done to evaluate how the mud's strength can be used in the long term.

You will strengthen social relationships

Gardening is such a fun activity when you are alone (as long as you don't have to deal with weeds), but heck, it makes it even more fun when you do it with other people. And it's more than just fun: Group gardening, in a community garden, with friends or family, can create stronger social bonds and better teamwork, explains WebMD.

And the improvement of social relations goes beyond the sense of community. Feeling part of a social group and having social connections, with friends, family or other people in your world, can improve your physical and mental health, according to the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, strong, healthy relationships in your life have been found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, in part by lowering your stress levels. Conversely, feelings of isolation and loneliness can increase the risk of mental health problems such as depression. All the more reason to be with your neighbors next time they organize a group gardening class!

Gardening can improve memory

Memory loss and cognitive decline can be common factors in aging, whether or not you have an age-related neurological disease like Alzheimer's (according to the Mayo Clinic). But the good news is that if you're a gardener, your daily activities can help protect your memory. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health examined the effects of gardening on cognitive function in a group of seniors in South Korea. Garden work is done at 20-minute intervals and is generally of relatively low intensity. .

At the end of the gardening session, markers of memory-related brain function were found to improve significantly. Although these are short-term effects, the researchers say the study "reveals the potential cognitive benefits of active gardening in the elderly." Scientists concluded that long-term studies are needed to examine the broader effects of gardening on cognitive function.

Your self-esteem can increase in the garden

Let's face it: we all want to feel good. Whether it's at work, in our relationships, or in our life in general, feeling valued is important to facing the end of the day with pride. And an easy way to build that self-esteem is to go out into your garden.

"Research has shown that regular interactions with nature can improve our self-esteem and self-esteem," especially in older adults, says Lottie founder and care expert Will Donnelly (via Sustain Health). It seems that the simple act of weeding and growing vegetables can give you meaning, as well as long-term effects when you see the tangible results of your hard work. This boost in self-esteem can be provided by a relatively small amount of gardening. Researchers from the University of Essex and the University of Westminster found that just half an hour a week of gardening boosts self-confidence and improves mental health.

Gardening time can help prevent osteoporosis

According to a study published in the European Journal of Rheumatology, osteoporosis is one of the most common diseases affecting approximately 200 million people worldwide and beyond. About 50 million people in the United States have osteoporosis, and it's more common in older people because bones soften and break with age (according to the Cleveland Clinic).

Therefore, it is very important to find ways to treat and prevent osteoporosis and gardening can be one of the best ways to do this. Gardening provides two key ingredients in fighting osteoporosis: exercise under load and access to vitamin D. When you spend time in the garden, "use those muscles in ways that promote bone and muscle strength." Spine specialist and neurosurgeon Deborah Benzil of the Cleveland Clinic explains. This type of exercise can effectively protect bones and reduce the risk of fractures. And the vitamin D you absorb in the garden, through direct natural light, increases your body's ability to retain calcium. , which is good for bone health, is an important ingredient.

Gardening can reduce the risk of chronic disease

According to the World Health Organization, chronic diseases (or noncommunicable diseases) cause three quarters of the deaths worldwide each year, killing approximately 41 million people. With the high incidence of this condition, it is imperative to take personal steps to try to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases, and luckily, going out into the garden is one of the best ways to do this.

The first way to do this is through exercise. "While more research is needed, recent research suggests that regular gardening or do-it-yourself gardening can reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke and even reduce it by 30% for people over 60," says the expert. curated and founder Lottie. Will Donnelly through Sustain Health. Additionally, when you grow fruits and vegetables in your garden, you provide yourself and your family with many healthy food options that can help prevent chronic disease, according to a review published in the European Journal of Nutrition.

Spending time in the park can help your eyesight

A good garden is a feast for the eyes. And your garden will not only provide a beautiful and colorful display of flowers and plants that will please your eyes, but spending time in it will also help keep your eyes healthy. This is because when you spend less time indoors and more time outdoors, you reduce the risk of nearsightedness or farsightedness, as Optimax states. This may be because the eyes get more natural light, which helps them become round and not elongated, leading to changes in vision.

This may not just happen to your eyes. If you have children, encourage them to spend more time outdoors to help improve eye health, according to the Smithsonian, even if it is not yet known how well they look after their vision. And the more time you spend outdoors in your garden, the less time you spend sitting in front of a screen, which Optimax says is another risk factor for visual impairment, as blue light causes macular degeneration. ак о оставьте оробку озьмите ои адовые ерчатки. аши аза обязательно ажут ам асибо!

адоводство ожет аставить ас ать о олгосрочной ерспективе овать адежду

адоводство ожет асслабляющим особом овести ень, о астоящие овольствия от еятерльствия от еятерлабляющим особом овести ень, о астоящие овольствия от еятерльствия от еятерльствия от еятерльности осят. амом еле акого ет. а олгосрочная еятельность ожет овлиять аше ение. «Когда вы работаете в саду, вы ожидаете роста и изменений», — говорит Гвенн Фрид, менеджер по садоводческой терапии в реабилитационном центре NYU Langone Medical Center (через The Healthy). «Когда о-то ажает емя оливает его, он ерит, о емя орни очву, обы одержать ерхние стебли. огда люди, ак ера осит оды, о омогает ести акую е еру адежду их овседневная ».

оптимистичный взгляд еет ольше оследствий, ем осто орошее амочувствие. Healthline объясняет, о олее олнечным ом а, ак авило, енее одвержены оническим аболеваниям целом оджут. огда у ас ольше адежды елом, онны елать олее оровый ор, оторый, ою очередь, оо а еаше ооеаше оа

ольшие ещи астают аленьких емян,!

айте альше: ельные енения ашего ела озрастом