Why Gardening and Wellness Go Together
Woman working in the garden
Everyone Needs a Strategy to Maintain Their Mental Health
I'm not going to lie; sometimes, I feel like I'm just struggling through life. Sometimes, I think I'm just a victim of circumstance. But then I remember being blessed with a fantastic family and friends. I also realize that I have a lot of opportunities to help others. I have a business that allows me to strengthen their presence online. I have a passion for learning and teaching others. And I have a beautiful wife who supports me every step of the way.
These days, each of us must devise a strategy to maintain our mental health. We need to find ways to stay positive in this world. It's easy to get caught up in negative thoughts when we are stressed out or depressed. We can't let those feelings take over. We need to find a balance between being happy and sad. Therefore, one of my greatest hobbies is starting a garden as part of landscape design.
A garden is one of the most common choices if you are looking for a beautiful landscape in your outdoor living space.
Gardens can help us relax and de-stress. They can also help us get out of our heads and into the outdoor spaces surrounding us. We can enjoy the beauty of nature, smell owners, and appreciate life's simple pleasures. Gardens can make us feel happier and more relaxed. Spending time in parks can help us think about other things besides ourselves.
Gardening improves focus. You may not realize it, but you focus on one thing at a time when you garden. That means you're less likely to get distracted by other things around you. And because you're paying close attention to what you're doing, you'll notice if something needs fixing sooner. Gardening also helps you stay calm and relaxed. Research shows that spending time outdoors reduces stress levels. Plus, it can give you a mental break from everyday chaos.
Exercise helps reduce stress, depression, and other physical and mental illnesses. It also improves your overall quality of life. You don't need to go to the gym to reap the benefits of regular exercise. Gardening is an excellent exercise form because it requires no equipment or membership fees. It also encourages social interaction and bonding through working together to accomplish a goal.
Why Gardening Can Improve Mental Health
Gardens are places where we can grow food, enjoy nature, and connect with others. Gardening is an excellent hobby because you can spend time outdoors, meet new people, and create something beautiful. You also get to eat what you grew yourself! It can also be one of the places where we get some of our favorite landscaping ideas.
The effects of gardening on body and mind, which therefore makes us healthier
Gardening is an excellent form of exercise. It combines physical activity with mental stimulation and social interaction. Gardening also provides access to fresh produce, which is healthy and nutritious. In addition, working in the garden helps restore agility and strength and can even help you burn calories at the same rate as running a mile. Digging, raking , and mowing are incredibly calorie intensive, so gardening may be just what you need if you're looking for a low-calorie alternative to running,
In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that physical inactivity causes about 3.2 million deaths yearly. Physical activity helps prevent many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, depression, anxiety, dementia, and falls. According to WHO estimates, physical inactivity accounts for 4.3% of global mortality. A recent study found that increasing physical activity levels could reduce the number of deaths caused by heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and respiratory problems by 25%.
Fortunately, high-intensity exercise is NOT needed to obtain these benefits. These benefits can be obtained through low-intensity activities like gardening or walking through green spaces.
Although insufficient evidence proves that specific complementary therapies are effective, gardening and nature therapy are inexpensive and widely available. There is evidence that knitting helps too!
How to Start Your Own Gardening SelfCare Habit
Neidlich says you can reap the rewards of gardening no matter where, the size of the garden you have access to, whether you have access to an outdoor or indoor playground, or even if you're not lucky enough to have an outdoor garden. She says there are many psychological benefits to tending to an indoor garden or stepping out to appreciate someone else's outdoor playground. The idea is that slowing down, disconnecting from technology, and focusing all your attention on the task will help you feel calmer and happier.
Bridget Bueche is an organic farming consultant and former professional chef in Newport Beach, CA. She offers three tips for getting started with growing your food.
First, if you don't know what you will grow, start with what you like to eat. She says it'll make you feel more motivated to care for your plants and make the finished product more enjoyable.
Second, choose crops that are easy for beginners to grow. Radishes, parsley, cilantro, basil, and lettuce are all great choices. It is always wise to start with native plants in the region in which you live. And remember, there are all kinds of different gardens for you to learn about and eventually grow.
There are different types of gardens you might want to consider:
Chic Garden
Cloister Garden
Container Gardens
Colorful Garden
Vegetable Garden
Of course, you need to consider native plants that can flourish and grow in your particular environment. Then, there are different types of soils, such as sandy soils, that need more frequent watering. Another factor to consider when planting the garden is how drought-resistant or drought-tolerant this soil is. And what soil amendments can I make to give me the best success in growing a garden?
Third, consider starting small. You can continually expand later, but you might not enjoy it as much if you've got a big garden full of weeds.
Dig into the right kind of soil. “Healthy, clean, and nutrient-dense” soil is the key to growing healthy plants. Different types of plants need different amounts of nutrients, water, light, and air. If you're not sure what kind of soil you should dig into, ask your local gardening store or nursery. You may also want to consider the location of your garden. Plants that prefer dry conditions might do well in an area with lots of sunlight, while those that like to stay wet all the time might do better in areas with less direct sunlight.
Use an App. Learn more about what you're growing with a gardening app like Planta, which provides insight into each plant, including how long it takes to succeed, how much sunlight it needs, and whether it likes shade. Your phone can be an excellent gardening aid. Set your alarm to help you remember when to water, and if you forget, check out the weather forecast.
Woman gardener planting for the season
Physical Benefits of Gardening
Plants are beneficial to our overall well-being. They clean the air we breathe, reduce stress levels, increase productivity, and even boost moods. Plants also provide us with a sense of peace and calmness. We can see them grow and thrive all around us, yet we rarely notice them until they need our attention.
One thing that is closely associated with gardening is the overall approach to landscaping the property. Gardens give us beautiful landscaping opportunities that can be achieved with some hard work and a minimal investment.
Ultimately if you want to take the garden or property to the next level then you are going to want the assistance of landscape designer. Maybe the more important thing a landscape designer provides is to help you avoid many of the common landscaping blunders. There are so many different options available such as buffer landscaping that can be done with hardscapes. Another clever landscaping design is to use different colored gravels in and around garden beds.
Gardening Helps You Move Your Body Longer
Gardens are great places to get your daily dose of vitamin D, and if you're lucky enough to have access to sunlight, you'll also get your recommended amount of vitamin D. Gardening is an excellent form of exercise. It's low impact, and you won't feel like you've worked out at all. If you're looking to lose weight, gardening is a great option. It's low calorie, and you'll burn calories while you water plants and tend them.
Studies show we need to burn around 2,000 calories a WEEK with exercise! That's a lot of work, but luckily there are plenty of ways to get those calories burning. You could try running for 30 minutes every other day, or maybe you'd like to try cycling instead? Or perhaps you'd prefer to walk? Whatever you choose, remember to keep it fun and interesting. If you're looking for something more intense, why not try HIIT workouts? These high intensity interval training exercises will help you lose weight fast while also improving your cardiovascular health.
Since you can burn around 250 calories per hour working in your garden, then that's enough to get you through a full day of hard labor. And if you're feeling really ambitious, you can burn even more calories while you're planting seeds, watering plants, and harvesting vegetables.
Little boy watering his garden
In Conclusion
If you are looking to find ways to improve your health both mentally and physically then look no further than planting a garden. There are so many benefits to this simple hobby. Whether you enjoy spending time outdoors or just relaxing after a stressful week, gardening is a great way to unwind. So go ahead and start digging today.
