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Gardening for Wellbeing

Good rounds up the many physical and mental benefits of gardening.

7 reasons to get in the garden.

If you’re a keen gardener, you probably know that getting down in the dirt and pulling a few weeds makes you feel good. But why? There are myriad reasons gardening can boost your physical wellbeing and mood – including some you might find surprising.

Sun baby

Gardening in the sun gives you ample opportunity to soak up that vitamin D, which aids your immune system, helps you absorb all-important calcium and boosts your mood. Exposure to sunlight also triggers the release of serotonin, the hormone that regulates your sleeping cycle, so it can literally help you rest easy.

Play with dirt

Working with soil exposes you to beneficial microbes you might not come across otherwise. Coming into contact with the bacteria that live in soil – through both touch and inhaling tiny microparticles – can boost your immune system and ward o asthma and allergies. And some studies have even found that inhaling M. vaccae, a healthy bacterium that lives in soil, can even increase serotonin levels and reduce anxiety!

Burn some calories

Gardening for 30 minutes burns a similar number of calories to playing badminton or practising yoga. So, even if you can’t make it to the gym, you can count your afternoon in the veggie patch as exercise!

Soul food

Gardening helps us get out of our own heads and naturally creates a sense of progress, as plants grow and develop day to day – both things that are great for mental health. In fact, according to the UK’s Royal Horticultural Society, those who garden every day have wellbeing scores 6.6 per cent higher than those who don’t and stress levels 4.2 per cent lower than people who don’t garden at all.

Green goddess

Being in green spaces is immensely beneficial for your health. Research shows that time spent in parks and gardens is linked to long-term reductions in health problems like cancer and heart disease, as well as obesity. Anecdotal evidence also suggests it can boost your mood, with green as a calming colour and fresh air and sunlight good for the soul. So even if you’re not gardening but just sitting out in the green, you could be helping yourself!

Grow your own food

Raising your own veg from seed is satisfying – a source of pride and joy, and relatively easy to start. Plus, growing your own food means you could be eating better quality produce: food that’s homegrown, organic, truly local and packed with vitamins and minerals. And because it comes straight from your backyard, it also comes with a much lower carbon footprint. Win-win, right?

Social butterfly

Whether you swap seeds with neighbours, invite your pals round for a gardening bee, join a gardening Facebook group or just chat to the friendly sta at your local garden centre, cultivating plants can be a great way to grow or strengthen your social circle. The UK’s NHS has even begun prescribing gardening as a social ‘medicine’ to combat loneliness and depression.

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2022-09-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://good.pressreader.com/article/281895892086786

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