The calming benefits of being in the natural world are endless and include fresh air, improved mood and concentration, mental clarity, lower blood pressure, improved flexibility of your joints and muscles. The list goes on, but the simple satisfaction and delight derived from watching things grow and bloom is both unmatched and undeniable.
Gardening sharpens your mind. There is evidence that growing plants enhances your brain. For example, one NIH study found that the act of gardening may lower your risk of dementia by as much as 36 percent!
Gardening strengthens your body. The actual act of maintaining a garden keeps you moving for one thing. Considering many of us sit for way too much of the day, this is important. An active lifestyle in turn lowers your likelihood of obesity, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, stroke, depression, and more. In addition, if you garden outside, you’ll also passively reap the benefits of sun exposure. Sunshine, of course, is a key source of vitamin D, which fortifies your bones and immune system.
Gardening soothes your soul. Working in the garden can lower your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone and restore your energy. It generally lifts your spirits and if that’s not enough growing a community garden with others can also combat feelings of loneliness.
I’ll end with an anonymous quote that you may have heard before, and someone gave to me on a kitchen towel that reads:
“Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes” …or flowers, or fruit!
Susan Covey is the Director of Fitness at Acts Bayleigh Chase in Easton
