3 Ways Gardening Can Benefit Your Mind and Body
With the time spent and calories burned while gardening, it is easy to feel like you’ve just finished exercising at the gym. While you may not be in a physical gym, you are indeed exercising. Just like exercising, gardening is great for both your mental and physical health.
Not convinced yet that gardening is exercise? Here are 3 health benefits of gardening that are sure to grow on you.
1. Helps Maintain a Healthy Weight
Gardening is a great way to lose weight and stay fit. Just like with any physical activity, be sure to stretch before a long day of hard work to avoid injury and wear comfortable gear, like protective workout clothing, gloves and a mask if you’re prone to allergies. Gardening does wonders to your physical shape if you are putting the work in.
Things like digging, raking, sweeping and mowing are all physical activities that are sure to get you to break a sweat. According to the CDC, 30 minutes of light gardening and yard work can burn over 150 calories. Aside from the physical labor, harvesting at home can support healthier eating habits.
2. Improves Your Mental Health
These days many people are looking for an outlet to maintain their mental health. One of those ways is being outside, which is a plus when it comes to boosting your mood. Incorporating gardening into your outside time can also improve many aspects of your mental well-being and be used as a form of therapy. When completing a task in your garden, allow yourself a chance to focus on being present. Gardening has also been shown to decrease feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression.
3. Supports A Healthy Immune System
Add gardening to your list of at-home remedies when it comes to boosting your immune system. Research shows that soil contains beneficial bacteria that help with strengthening your immune system. Plants like cornflowers, elderberries, aloe vera, and garlic are ideal for your garden to support your immune system.
For more ways gardening can benefit your mind and body as well as a few helpful gardening tips, check out the infographic below.
