By Carol Siddall Master Gardener
Those with green thumbs have long known that gardening is good for you both physically and mentally. Researchers have found that smelling the roses and pulling up those nasty weeds can lower blood pressure, increase brain activity, and produce a general good feeling. This evidence has become so compelling that the health factor has been given its own name — Horticultural therapy.
Doing research for this article I found many different topics of why gardening is good for us. One blog I read stated there is evidence that gardeners can live up to 14 years longer.
- You garden during the day, so you are naturally getting Vitamin D. Vitamin D is protective against some types of cancer and heart disease.
- Gardening is a stress reliever. Stress negatively affects us and can increase the risk of disease.
- Gardening burns calories. You can burn up to 330 calories during one hour of light gardening and yard work.
- Gardening decreases the likelihood of osteoporosis. Digging, planting, weeding, and engaging in repetitive tasks that require strength or stretching, helps major muscle groups get a good work out.
- Gardening may lower the risk of dementia. Some research suggests that it is the physical activity associated with gardening that can help lower the risk of developing dementia by 36 to 47 percent over non-gardeners.
- Horticultural therapy has become recognized treatment for stress and depression. This has served as a healing aid in settings ranging from prisons and mental health treatment facilities to schools and hospitals. Tailored gardening programs have been shown to increase quality of life for people with anxiety as well as with depression. In jails and corrective programs, horticultural therapy programs have been used to give inmates positive, purposeful activities that lessen aggression and hostility during and after incarceration.
- School gardening studies show that students who have worked on designing, creating and maintaining gardens develop more positive attitudes about health, nutrition, and the consumption of vegetables. These children also score better in science, have better attitudes about school, and improve their classroom behavior.
These are just a few of the reasons why we should garden to help us live longer. Maybe this next year we can all plan to spend more time in our garden; I am betting it’ll be a great time!
