I used to look at gardening as something which only old people or fanatics did, that was until I moved from the USA up to Alberta, Canada, and I bought a property with a huge outdoor area. At first I didn’t have a clue what to do with this space so I called a few buddies from home renovation lender Investar USA where I used to work, to see what tips they could offer me. Both of these guys have plush gardens outside their homes and knew that they’d be of great help. In fact both buddies came up to Alberta to help me with the garden, I’d be a fraud if I said that I did any of it myself! Because of the work that they guys put in I made sure to keep it that way and this had had a great benefit to my mental and physical health.
If you want to improve your health, here is how gardening can do it.
Fresh Air
In terms of your mental health many doctors and therapists often recommend getting back in touch with nature in order to help you. Gardening then is the perfect tonic to anyone who is suffering mental health problems, or indeed anyone who is just feeling stressed or overwhelmed by their daily life. Getting out into the fresh air and breathing in the natural setting really is a relaxant and it can help you organize your thoughts and re-focus yourself.
Physical
Not all gardening work is overly physical but the fact that you are out and moving the joints and muscles around will of course help you to stay flexible and strong. There are some jobs in the garden which take quite a bit of effort and even mowing the lawn can work up a sweat and help you to burn some calories.
Project
I have realized that gardening has really helped with my focus and knowing that I have a project has been great for my motivation and my organizational skills. This can be anything from planting a flower and watching it bloom, to building a wall or a fence or even installing a pond. The point is that when you are gardening there is always a fixed goal which you are looking towards and having a goal will help you to stay energized and motivated to achieve it, which will then spill over into other areas of your life.
Cooped Up
There is more probability of you getting sick if you stay indoors all the time, the fake air, the germs, the bacteria and the threats of a closed environment can all increase your chances of picking something up. When you are outside gardening this isn’t the case and your immune system will be boosted by the fresh air and the vitamins D which you’ll get from the sun’s rays.
Give gardening a try and just see how much your physical, emotional and mental health improves.