Gardening improves health in a variety of ways, affecting physical, mental, and emotional aspects of your life. What’s great about gardening is that it’s a great hobby for people of all ages.
You can reap the benefits whether you're focusing on growing houseplants or food. The healthy hobby can be performed in any sized space, such as on the patio or in the backyard. Plant some bulbs, dig holes, or prune bushes and you’ll soon notice the changes that take place throughout your body, mind, and spirit.
The following are six ways gardening is good for your health:
1. Lowers risk of heart disease and diabetes — The activity involved in gardening reduces stress levels to improve heart health, reducing the risk of heart-related conditions such as diabetes and obesity. The nutritious foods gardeners grow are also heart healthy, according to Rodale’s Organic Life.
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2. Causes weight loss — Any type of activity helps with weight management and gardening is a good way to burn calories, notes Heather Hausenblas in U.S. News. She adds that the American Council on Exercise reveals that gardening can burn some 300 calories an hour.
3. Boosts your mood — Depression, anxiety, and anger are reduced through gardening, which increases the feel-good hormone dopamine and relaxing serotonin, says Sarah Rayner in Psychology Today. Levels of cortisol, which may trigger stress, are reduced.
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4. Provides a sense of responsibility — Caring for plants brings gardeners respect for all living things and helps teach them how to nurture. It increases self-esteem to know you can assist nature. Working in the outdoors, even in a small garden, improves the skills you have learned.
5. Great exercise — Raking and digging are considered high-intensity activities while weeding, mulching, and watering provide moderate-intensity exercise. So, gardening can even encourage you to exercise more for a healthy body and mind.
6. Makes you eat better — Just as you’ll want to exercise more, you’ll also have more fruits and veggies in your diet. What’s more, products grown in home gardens are tastier and more nutritious than produce found in stores. Gardeners have easy access to these fresh foods and should integrate them as regular sources of nutrition in their diet.
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