Gardening has been gaining steadily in popularity in the last decade or so; even more than when our parents and grandparents would have had to garden to put food on the table. So why is that? Why is gardening exploding with popularity to the point that even people who live in apartment buildings are looking for ways to have their own garden? Is it for the fresh vegetables and fruits along with herbs? Is it for the colourful array of flowers that can brighten up even the darkest of days?
It’s all the above along with some other very important and key reasons. Gardening is the type of hobby that works not only the mind but the body from start to finish. Gardening is a task that never truly ends because you have to spend the time and physical effort creating a garden from scratch, only to have to maintain it in the long run if you want to see any results from your hard work.
Gardening has numerous physical benefits, which we will break down below, but it also has more mental benefits than people realise. Gardening can be considered a catchall type of hobby that allows a person to spend their time doing something they enjoy, but also provides a workout for both the body and the mind.
Keep reading to find out more about the ways that your mind and body can benefit from gardening.
Mind
Mentally, gardening can bring you to a place of relaxation and peace. How does gardening accomplish this? By allowing the mind to wander off stress-inducing topics and instead focusing on the task at hand. Gardening requires a significant amount of mental focus, as you must complete steps in order to maintain your garden. Weeding, fertilizing and watering must be done on a regular basis, regardless of the weather (rainy, sunny, cloudy, etc.), and you are also responsible for spreading new compost and mulch when your garden beds require it.
This level of responsibility instills a sense of worth in the gardener, as it is quite apparent that these tiny plants are wholly responsible on you for their wellbeing. You are the person who is tasked with bringing them to maturity and coaxing them to grow big, healthy and strong.
The constant repetition that is required when it comes to garden maintenance is also soothing to a person who suffers from anxiety as the repeated motions will calm the mind while instilling a sense of control in the gardener.
Body
Did you know that gardening is one of the top workouts you can do without feeling like you’ve just been to the gym? It’s a very physical hobby and will work muscles that you didn’t realise you had in the back, shoulders and legs. How does it work these muscles? Well through the act of gardening, both creating and maintaining.
You will spend your time squatting into a good position for your gardening tasks such as weeding, planting, spreading fertilizer and compost (or mulch), which will work your legs, thighs, and lower back. Your core will be engaged through the constant leaning forward position and your shoulders along with your upper back will feel the stretch. Having to lift a wheelbarrow will have you exerting your core strength along with your arms and back muscles then the motion of pushing the wheelbarrow to the area in which you need it will stretch down to your thighs and legs.
And then of course there’s the lawn to think of; a lush green carpet won’t look after itself. Mowing the lawn can burn between 250 and 350 calories an hour depending on how large an area you are tending. Add in weeding, raking, moss removal and keeping the edges neat and you’ve got yourself a really good workout. Remember to always use the right tools for the job, for example the best lawn edgers and a regularly serviced lawn mower, to ensure you’re not making the job harder than it needs to be and thus increasing the risk of your body feeling it a bit too much the next day.
This level of physical activity will strengthen your core while stretching and working the muscles of your arms, legs, back, and shoulders. Frequent physical activity on a regular basis is one of the easiest ways to lower your blood pressure, reduce your bad cholesterol and increase your immune system. The benefits of physical activity are that vast we couldn’t possibly list them all in this article and that is why gardening is so good for a person – its physical activity!
Conclusion
Gardening is one of those tasks that truly shows results – from the produce you have harvested from your garden, to those fresh flowers that brighten up the tables of your home to the physical changes in your body with an increase in muscle tone to the clarity that you experience in your mind during gardening sessions.
If you have a gorgeous garden in which you can relax and make memories; you must maintain it. Make sure that the tools in your garden shed are sturdy and will meet your every need for weeding, spreading compost and harvesting your produce. You’ll want to have on hand gardening gloves, kneeling pads, trowels, a steel topped shovel, a wheelbarrow, and a compost container. You can even search organic and natural pesticide recipes that you can make at home!
Combine work with pleasure by installing a lawn sprinkler that not only makes watering your lawn and garden a breeze but is also kid friendly. These kid-friendly lawn sprinklers (click for more information) will not only bring joy to those long, glorious days of summer for your kids but will also provide memories that will last a lifetime!
*collaborative post
