Gardening will not only make your home more welcoming, but it has been known to offer some health benefits. Here are six wonderful health benefits of gardening.
Providing stress relief – Gardening has been shown to reduce the stress hormone, cortisol. Maintaining a garden may seem like a lot of work, therefore, consider a low maintenance garden that will still provide stress relieving benefits.
Strengthening your immune system – Soil has a lot of germs and exposing your body to these microorganisms, especially for young children, can help them fight diseases later on in life.
Gardening is a workout – Gardening can be a workout when you have to move pots, mow or shovel your garden.
Bacteria buddies – Dirt also contain natural anti-depressants called Mycobacterium vaccae. Which are said to boost serotonin, this hormone is the bodies naturalfeel good hormone.
A healthier diet – If you grow a few vegetables, you may find that soon you will get very conscious of your diet. Most gardeners will opt for whole foods and stay clear of processed or packaged foods.
Stimulating the brain – Two studies showed that gardening reduces the risk of dementia for people in their 60s and 70s because gardening includes physical exercise, social interactions, and cognitive learning.
If you are new to gardening, start small with as few as three plants. You can then increase your knowledge and move on to planting a wider variety of plants and vegetables.