The birds are returning from the south, the days are getting longer, and the sun is shining brighter. Yes, Spring is here! Maybe not officially, but close enough. This is the time when many people will start getting their gardens in order, often times not realizing that they’re also giving their bodies a great work out. Let’s look at 4 Ways Gardening is Good For You:
Lower Osteoporosis Risk
Gardening, and all the work that goes into maintaining its beauty, can be a great way to lose weight, and improve physical health as a whole. This same physical activity can be great for improving your bone strength as well. According to a study performed by the University of Arkansas, women who are involved in yard work, or other gardening exercises, have a lower rate of developing osteoporosis than joggers, swimmers, and women who do aerobics.
Build Muscle volume Strength
Pushing a wheelbarrow, pulling weeds, mowing the lawn, and gardening all forces the muscles to work. Sometimes this can be more beneficial than the gym, because you’re forcing multiple muscle groups to work together to complete the task, while weight lifting in the gym usually single out specific muscles in a single movement.
Lower Diabetes Risks
Those who garden regularly easily surpass the recommended 150 minutes per week of exercise, making it much easier to manage or reduce the risk of developing diabetes, as physical exercise is one of the main ways of managing this disease. If your green thumb has you growing food in your garden, fresh produce is another great way to manage diabetes.
Gardening can lead to a better night’s sleep. The mental health benefits of gardening are so strong that a field of medicine called horticultural therapy has been developed to help people who have psychiatric disorders deal with their conditions. Other studies show that people both with cancer and without cancer used gardening as a coping strategy for stressful life situations. The less we’re all stressed out, the better we’ll sleep.
It’s time to roll up your sleeves and go play in the dirt. One hour of constant gardening (digging, weeding, mulching, etc) is the equivalent of taking 10,000 steps in one day or walking about five miles!