While at the age of 68, in 1811, Thomas Jefferson reached out to Charles Wilson Peale and said “Even though I might be old, I feel as though I am a young gardener”.
The words are very true not just for Thomas Jefferson but for everyone who at some point in their lives has ended up cutting zinnias during the summer season or maybe has ended up planting spring during one of the beautiful spring mornings.
There is a young and lightened feeling that comes with it and that best explains how gardening contributes to your health.
There are lots of evidence today which shows that gardening isn’t just beneficial to one’s environment but it also proves to be beneficial to the spirit, soul and the body.
If you have been into gardening for a very long while or even a beginner, you would surely agree with me that I am telling the truth.
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How Gardening Contributes To Your Health
Gardening Makes Sure You Stay Lean
One of the ways that you can get to eliminate calories from the body is by engaging in an active lifestyle or hitting the gym and also, nonexercise activity thermogenesis also referred to as NEAT is now generally accepted as one of the best ways which one can maintain a healthy balance between outgoing and incoming calories.
Recent reports from Dr. James Levine of the famous Mayo Clinic revealed that partaking in activities everyday helps in fighting off weight gain and these activities end up making use independent, unique and vibrant.
Gardening Ensures That The Bones Stays Strong
Dr Lori Turner of the University of Arkansas in 2000 published a study that showed that women of fifty years and above tend to have stronger bones than women who partake in activities like swimming, jogging, aerobics and running.
Most people do not expect working in your garden to be of significant importance but a lot of weight is being put under check when you push a mower, pull out weeds and also dig holes.
Gardeners Are Not Vitamin D Deficient People
Vitamin D also is known as vitamin sunshine is one vitamin that the body needs and lately a deficit in such vitamin have been proven to lead to rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes and also a common type of cancers.
One of the ways the body can get to produce vitamin D is through absorbing sunlight but this should be done cautiously so you do not expose your skin to skin cancer.
Recent studies have also shown that exposing the body to sunlight for about ten to fifteen minutes helps in producing almost the amount of vitamin D which the body would need and no matter how old you are, what time of the year it is as well as other factors, working in your garden cuts down the possibility of falling deficient to vitamin D.
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Gardening Brings Happiness
Partaking in activities in nature or what we call green exercises known as gardening helps in improving one’s mood and also improving a person’s self-esteem.
However, playing in the dirt can also help in providing additional rewards and a study back in 2007 showed that bacteria found in common soil boost serotonin release in the brain which helps in the regulation of moods.
This is why gardening always makes people happy and cheerful.
Through Gardening, Healthy Communities Are Built
Social support and network support is what one stands to gain from getting involved with community gardens and it also helps in providing a lot of mental health benefit for everyone. You can share experiences on several traditional ethnic foods and this often leads to understanding several cultures.
An entire community that has a community garden would benefit in ways like social ties, mental health and appreciating social diversity.
Fresh Food Offers Great Nutrition Content
One of the ways to get the most out of your vegetables is by consuming them fresh from your garden. To back up this fact, it has been proven that vitamin C content tends to decrease quickly once it gets refrigerated for about three days.
One of the ways you can get to enjoy the benefits of vegetables is by ensuring you grow them yourself.
Final Thoughts
You have all the evidence you need that gardening is very important and beneficial to one’s health. One of the ways you could live a healthy life is by gardening smart and gardening often.
You can get to warm up your body by lifting your knees, stretching, changing tools and also placing your back straight and this helps in eliminating strains from the joints in your body. When gardening, ensure you wear protective gloves like shoes, sun hats and gloves.
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