Gardening yourself healthy
Is gardening a hobby of yours? If so, you not only have a very fun hobby, but also a healthy one. In fact, according to many studies, gardening is good for your health. Both on a physical and mental level, gardening brings many benefits. Time to get busy and get outside!
Physical benefits
Let's look at the physical benefits first. There are quite a few! For instance, gardening requires quite a bit of exercise. You are constantly changing your position and constantly working with your hands. If you are gardening a lot, it has a positive influence on your condition. But also on your muscle strength! There are certain jobs in the garden that require quite a bit of muscle power. For example, when planting a hedge or moving a full planter.
While gardening, your senses are stimulated. You will have to deal with all kinds of different smells, colors and textures. For the youngest gardeners among us especially, this is very beneficial for development. And not only is the development of the senses stimulated, but also that of the immune system. Being outdoors and sunlight provide vitamin D and this improves the immune system.
Mental benefits
There are definitely mental benefits as well! For example, the biggest mental benefit to gardening is that it reduces stress. Research shows that gardening decreases the amount of cortisol (a stress hormone) and instead produces endorphins (counterpart of cortisol). This provides a nice and relaxed feeling. Because of this, for many people gardening has the result of clearing their heads and is seen as a form of mindfulness.
There is a social aspect to gardening, too. Especially when you are gardening in your front yard. It allows you to interact more with other people, which can contribute to your well-being. In addition, gardening also appears to help against dementia. It stimulates problem-solving skills and stimulates the brain to learn and be sensorially aware. A fun way to exercise your brain you might say!
Additional benefits
In addition to the benefits perceived by ourselves when gardening, this chore also benefits the planet. By making our gardens greener, we are making the earth greener. In fact, the more greenery there is on the earth, the more carbon dioxide is stored and oxygen is released. This stops air pollution and cools the earth. This makes gardening a win-win situation for people and nature!