These days, everybody is looking for that magic activity that will surely solve all of their problems.
Yoga? Running? Maybe even rock climbing?
The problem of searching for a single activity in the hope of great change overlooks the fact that humans are designed for variety and only when we combine a series of activities can we truly reach the higher levels.
Yoga is excellent for flexibility and installing a sense of calm, running is wonderful for your cardiovascular system and rock climbing is like going to the gym, but on a wall, and is superb for building up muscles, especially in the upper body.
Yet one activity that is frequently overlooked in terms of both its physical and mental health benefits is gardening. Much maligned as a slow, timid, older person’s activity, gardening comes with considerably more health benefits than you would think. If, like millions out there, you spend hours sitting at a desk each day, a spot of gardening might be just what you need.
Here are five ways gardening is excellent for the human body.
Soaking up Vitamin D
Humans are in a small group of animals that cannot produce their own Vitamin D, an absolutely vital nutrient that assists with hundreds of bodily functions. Studies have shown that high levels of Vitamin D significantly boost our immune system and help to prevent a large number of cancers as well as multiple sclerosis. Those who don’t get enough Vitamin D are also more likely to develop dementia, type II diabetes, psoriasis flares and metabolic syndrome (a prediabetes condition).
While we can take supplements for Vitamin D, unquestionably the best and most efficient way is through good old-fashioned sunshine and what better way to soak up the sun rays than with a few hours of gardening.
Working the body
Working in the garden probably won’t see you burn a couple of thousand calories and if you’re looking for a quick way to grow those muscles, this almost certainly isn’t it.
But don’t underestimate the benefit of this relatively easy-going exercise routine. For those who spend 8 hours a day sitting in a chair, a couple of hours of standing up, crouching down, ripping weeds and shovelling soil will do wonders for a body that is crying out for more movement.
Think about it in this way - for thousands of years our bodies were subjected to this kind of movement for hours every day, and it worked for us. All of a sudden, in the last fifty years, we have become a highly sedentary species with a wide selection of aches and pains that our ancestors never had. An hour or two in the garden is excellent for your hunter/gatherer body.
Boosts your mood & Self Esteem
Considering that we know nature can significantly boost our mood, it’s perhaps not a great surprise that gardening can do exactly the same. A study in the U.S in 2011 found that participants classified as depressed and suffering from anxiety who participated in a 12-week gardening intervention saw substantial improvements.
Other studies found that gardening improved both mood and self-esteem and that these improvements lasted months after the trials ended.
Prevents against dementia
It’s long been known that exercise improves cognitive functioning in the brain and it’s highly likely that gardening has the same effect, even if it isn’t as rigorous as other workouts. A study in South Korea found that patients suffering from dementia who did just 20 minutes of gardening a day, showed an increased amount of some brain nerve growth factors associated with memory in both males and females.
In Norway and the Netherlands people suffering from dementia often participate in a program called Green Care, in which patients spend long periods working on farms or in gardens.
A sense of empowerment & achievement
Creativity is hugely important to humans and yet it is something that many of us see as a luxury - one of those ‘I wish I had the time to’ situations. But while it’s easy to think of creativity in terms of the classic arts, writing, drawing etc, the potential scope is enormous and what better way to do it than by creating your own garden.
Gardening is not always easy and can be downright infuriating at times, but it’s difficult to stay angry at nature for long. For many, the process of gardening is a form of meditation that alleviates stress and anxiety in the short term, but the long-term benefits to the human psyche are equally important.
We live in a world governed by quick fixes and easily digestible highs, but gardening is neither of these. Instead, it is an activity that unravels slowly over time and can lead to a tremendous sense of empowerment and achievement when you finally get something done.
The bottom line
Gardening has long been an activity looked down upon as something we’ll get to when we pass our 50th birthday. While it may not be the most glamorous, extreme, or dangerous activity available today, it is one that delivers enormously for those who do it.
Of course, not everybody has a garden, but increasingly there are community gardens looking for volunteers, allotments, and small street gardens, along with many other options. You don’t need your own garden to gain the benefit of gardening, and if anything, doing it with others adds yet more benefits, connectivity and communication, both vital to human beings.
If you are one of those who find yourself in front of a screen for large portions of the day, gardening can act as the yin to your working yang. Get your hands dirty, weed that flower bed and grow something new - you won’t regret it.
