Gardening Improves Your Health: Here’s How
Everyone wants to know the key to living a healthy and long life. While there are numerous aspects to health, one thing is for certain, gardening ticks a lot of boxes. Health is about emotions and well-being as much as it is about energy and being a healthy weight. Gardening is a great way to improve your health in all areas, and while it’s not a magic pill, it can definitely give your health a boost in the right direction. It’s good for your body, mind, and soul. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the ways that gardening can help you stay healthy.
You Can Garden All Year Long With Grow Lights
While most people think of getting in the dirt when they consider gardening, the truth is, there is more than one way to do it. With grow lights, you can garden all year long and get many of the same benefits as you would if you gardened outdoors. Grow lights give you the benefit of growing food even when it’s dark and cold outside. These vegetables often have the same amount of nutrients as organically grown produce especially when you choose organic growing solutions. The joy of harvesting your own plants all year long is worth the investment.
Gardening Can Improve Your Mood
After a tough day at work, most people would rather curl up on the couch with a glass of wine than spend time working in their garden. But spending time outdoors or around indoor plants actually has many health benefits. Gardening can help you relax, sleep better, and reduce stress. It can also make you feel more connected to nature and enhance your mood by boosting serotonin levels—the neurotransmitter that makes us happy. All of these work together to help people get important mood-boosting benefits.
Gardening Burns Calories
Outdoor gardening is a great way to burn calories, and it can help you lose weight. The average person burns about 300 calories per hour while gardening. It’s an easy way to get in some exercise without going to the gym or running outside in bad weather. Plus, it’s easier on the body than running for miles.
Outdoor Gardening Increases Vitamin D Production
It is a well-known fact that exposure to the sun increases your vitamin D production in the body. Sunlight hits the skin and converts some of the UV radiation into a form of vitamin D called cholecalciferol. Cholecalciferol is then transported through the bloodstream and stored in body fat for later use, which means that you don’t need to be outside all day long for this process to occur. In fact, 15 minutes in direct sunlight will give you enough vitamin D for one day.
Gardening Builds Muscle
Gardening is a great way to stay active, especially for those who are limited in their movement. Gardening itself offers a range of movements that can help strengthen your muscles. For example, digging in the soil is good for your back and arms, weeding helps improve circulation, and hoeing will get your heart pumping. All of these actions help you keep your muscles strong.
Gardening Gets You Outdoors
Being outdoors is good for your mental health. And spending that time in nature helps to improve your mood as it allows more time in the sun, which is linked to a boost in serotonin production, making you feel happier and more relaxed. Nature is associated with helping people feel less anxiety and less depression. People who spend time around trees and plants, and work in the soil are more likely to experience feelings of well-being and joy.
Gardening Can Help You Sleep Better at Night
The fresh air, natural sounds, and natural light all contribute to a better night’s sleep. The body also relaxes when spending time outside. The sunshine causes melatonin levels to rise once it gets dark outside, causing drowsiness and leading us into deeper sleep cycles than we would be able to achieve indoors alone. Inside spaces have artificial lighting sources that interfere with the natural release of melatonin and can keep people more awake in the evening hours.
Gardening Improves Your Memory
Gardening is a great way to keep your mind active and engaged. All the steps needed to care for plants help to keep the mind active and sharp.
Gardening Helps You Eat More Nutrients
When you grow it, you’re more likely to eat it. It’s that simple. Gardening can help you eat more fruits and vegetables because you grew them yourself. These contain important nutrients that the body needs along with gut-healthy fiber and prebiotics.