Now that spring is here, it’s the ideal time to go outside
and spruce up your yard. Whether you plant flowers or vegetables or just tend
to the grass, there are many benefits to being active outside. Experienced
gardeners and novices alike find that gardening is so good for you. Here are 7
reasons why.
1. Gardening Burns Calories
Many of us spent a lot of time sitting this year, but now
that spring has arrived, gardening offers us an opportunity to get moving and
shed any unwanted weight. Gardening is considered a moderate-intensity
activity and people burn an average of 330 calories per hour doing regular
gardening activities. Opt for manually-powered tools to boost calorie burn.
2. Gardening Can Lower Blood Pressure
Gardening can also help lower your blood pressure. All
exercise strengthens the heart, which makes it pump blood more efficiently.
Just 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week can help lower your blood
pressure. Gardening is an exercise that provides multiple associated benefits,
so it is a win-win activity.
3. Gardening Can Help Anxiety and Mood
Gardening can help reduce anxiety and improve your mood.
Though it might seem that would be because it is a relaxing activity, which is
true, it is also because you encounter mycobacteria such as mycobacterium
vaccae when you work in the soil. Studies show that m. vaccae provides a
variety of health benefits including increasing people’s serotonin levels.
Since serotonin stabilizes people’s moods, it’s not surprising that you’ll feel
better after a little digging in the dirt.
4. Gardening Can Boost Your Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for bone and muscle health. While
you can absorb it from some foods, you can also synthesize it in your body when
you expose your skin to sunlight. Spending a bit of time outside each day
tending to vegetables and flowers or tidying up your lawn will help ensure your
body has all the vitamin D it needs.
5. Gardening Can Provide Community
Gardening can also provide a sense of community and
friendship, which we all know is especially important after this long year.
Whether you volunteer or garden at a neighborhood plot, visit your local garden
center, or follow online forums, once you begin gardening, you’ll find a host
of fellow gardeners ready to talk plants, fertilizer, and gardening tricks.
6. Gardening Helps Focus
Gardening helps us be more present in our lives. Study
after study on mindfulness meditation have shown the benefits of focusing on
the present moment and not dwelling in the past or future. When you do it with intent,
gardening can serve the same purpose. Though it might take some practice, being
fully present to the sounds, sights, and smells of your garden can provide the
same benefits as meditation.
7. Gardening Helps Foster Healthy Eating
Turning your yard, or even your balcony, into an urban farm
will help you incorporate more fresh produce into your diet. Many people find
that once they have success with a few crops, they want to add more to their
gardening repertoire. In turn, once you come to enjoy the variety a garden
provides in the summer and fall, you’ll want to incorporate those flavors and
textures into your diet year-round. Consider planting fruit trees and bushes on
your property. They are relatively low maintenance and provide fruit for
yourself, your family, and all of your friends.
Whether you garden to improve the look of your yard, to
exercise, or to be an urban farmer, you will reap the benefits of your
back-to-the-earth activities. Eating fresh, natural foods is the best way to improve
your diet and to obtain most of the vitamins and minerals you need and growing
them can be easier than you imagine. Aronia berry bushes, for example, grow in
most climates in the United States and require very little maintenance. These
super fruits can be frozen or turned into jam for you to enjoy all year round.
If you don’t have space for them, try Superberries Frozen Aronia berries to see
how these fruits can easily improve your recipes and your health.
