Benefits of Gardening at Home and at Garden by the Sea
Not to toot our own horn, but gardening is one of the best activities you can do for yourself! Not only does it lead to a healthier diet, but all that digging, weeding and planting is considered moderate intensity exercise which leads to burning more calories which leads to a lower BMI which leads to lower blood pressure and a healthier heart (among other things). And bending for those weeds, reaching across the garden to dig up your onions, and gripping all those different garden tools also helps with overall body strength, stamina and flexibility. If that isn’t enough, the extra dose of vitamin D our bodies receive from the sunshine helps keep our bones strong and improves our immune systems. Here is (click the link) a short article from AARP on the health benefits of gardening.
Mental Healing
Gardening is a great solo activity for those times of meditation and contemplation, but it can also be a wonderful bonding opportunity to do with family and friends. Many research studies have even found gardening greatly reduces stress and anxiety, and even lowers risk of dementia as we age. If you want a mood boost, just go out to your garden and get on your hands and knees and pull some weeds. Breathing in the healthy bacteria in the soil can increase serotonin levels which help to decrease anxiety. If you feel your garden is your “happy place”, this may be one of the reasons why! Here is an article (click to open) on mental health healing called How gardening helped me live with love and loss.
Educationally Stimulating
Being part of a community garden adds much to the benefits of the gardening experience. They are great places to share planting techniques, as well as your successes and failures with other gardeners. Many friendships have been made in community gardens! And community gardens often offer educational workshops throughout the season, and other activities such as plant sales, picnics and seed and plant sharing.
Our Hope – Your Challenge
We hope to see you soon at Garden by the Sea. Email us to learn more about how you can become a Garden by the Sea member and start your own garden growing. In the meantime, here is a little more (click to open) information about healthy gardening at Garden by the Sea, but most of all stay happy, healthy, and keep on gardening!