Confined to our homes, it’s no surprise many of us turned to gardening to weather lockdown’s relentless challenges. This green pursuit has long been linked to busting stress levels and improving mood, with even a small host of pot plants on a tiny balcony serving up enough benefits to warrant some daily TLC. Now, research has revealed that time with our hands in the soil could also take the fight to heart disease and improve your overall health.
A study published in the Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, mowed through data collected on a group of nearly 150,000 adults over 65. These participants were divided into three distinct groups: non-exercisers (i.e., those who spent most of their time sitting down), exercisers (old folks engaging in regular physical activity), and gardeners.
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What emerged was that those who gardened were spending more time being active than even those logging regular exercise sessions, with most of those with green aspirations easily meeting weekly recs of 150 minutes of aerobic activity just by tending to their plant life. Additionally, the gardeners reported drastically lower rates of heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
But keeping you active isn’t the only reason gardening is great for your heart health. Regular stints in green surroundings are exposing you to extra sunlight, potentially ramping up your vitamin D levels. (Just make sure you’re applying an SPF regularly and liberally so those UV rays don’t cause you problems down the line.) Plus, if you’re growing your own herbs and vegetables, you’ll be unearthing bonus benefits in the form of fresh, healthy ingredients.
Gardening is Also Great for Your Mood
The verdict is in: the grass is always greener on the other side. Another study published in the journal Cities found that those who gardened every day logged well-being scores around 6.6% higher and stress levels around 4.2% lower than those who never spent time in this green arena. The research went on to state that gardening just 2-3 times per week could be enough to tap into the mental health benefits of this green exercise.
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The authors posit that gardening helps distract us from daily stressors, shifting attention to nature and the oft-creative pursuit of tending to your flora. This builds on previous findings that just the mere presence of plant life could ramp up your productivity and creativity. One study found that office workers in spaces inhabited by plant life were not only more efficient with their time but were able to think outside of the box more often than those deprived of green companions.
Whether you’re willing to get your hands dirty or just swing by your Stodels to scoop up a few planters, there’s no denying that investing in nature could have a major impact on your overall health and well-being. Want to get started? We’ve got a guide on growing your own herb garden from scratch, whether you’ve got a sprawling yard to work with or you’re limited to that aforementioned tiny balcony.
