Activity

We’re more likely to get outside and enjoy the sun, particularly in warmer weather. What can you do to connect to the natural world better than cultivating your own vegetables fruit, plants, and flowers? Gardening can provide a variety of physical and mental health benefits, and springtime is the best time to grow a beautiful garden that blooms throughout the summer. Bonsai Kits consider it an opportunity to express themselves artistically. Whatever the reason, it is an activity that is enjoyable for all ages.

NorthShore Family Medicine experts agree that gardening is a great activity to get people at all ages engaged.

Here are some gardening tips to help increase your overall health.

Burns Calories

A half-hour of gardening can help you burn up to 330 calories. You can burn twice as many calories if you garden for three to four hours as you can going to the gym for just one hour. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you should be gardening for 30-45 minutes a day, and three to five times per week.

It decreases loneliness

You can lease a plot in the local community garden, it’s a great gathering place for like-minded people who share this interest, as well. Not only does it promote an active lifestyle, stress relief and increased activity, but also offers social opportunities that foster an atmosphere of belonging and community. It allows people to share their knowledge about gardening as well as cooking, nature, and cooking.

The increase in vitamin D levels can boost your health.

Sunlight on the skin can boost your vitamin D levels which , in turn, will increase your calcium levels. This is crucial for healthy bones as well as a strong immune system that is strong. Vitamin D can also help protect against heart disease and high blood pressure as well as depression, diabetes as well as cancer and other illnesses. (Don’t forget to load up with sunscreen, and wear a hat that is protective, or sunglasses while you are enjoying the sun’s rays! ).

Improves hand dexterity

Aging may cause decrease in strength and dexterity of our hands. Planting, digging and pulling plants with gardening keep your bones and joints strong and agile.

Can Improve Your Diet

There’s a sense of excitement when you garden starting with the planting of a seed to watching it grow to witnessing a ripe fruit or vegetable that is ready to be harvested. Watching the whole growing process will change the way you view your food differently, and you’ll be able to enjoy the food you’ve grown. The fruits and vegetables in your diet are full of nutrients and vitamins; what better way of getting your daily supply than to grow your own? Home-grown produce is healthier too since it is grown without fertilizers and preservatives.

Gardening is Meditative

You can enter the zone by taking a breath in and paying attention to the plants. It may allow you to temporarily escape the stress of your workday and observing nature helps to relax our minds from intense cognitive function. Paying attention to the gardens can allow you to get into a magical and spiritual place that allows you to gain focus and clarity.