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6 Proven Health Benefits Of Gardening
(Philstar.com) – November 20, 2020 – 6:55 pm
MANILA, Philippines – If you are still undecided about purchasing an herb at your local supermarket, then it might be time to reconsider. Learning the benefits of keeping plants around might be enough to finally put it in your cart and take a look.
Here are six proven health benefits of gardening:
1. Improves brain health
Since it requires the use of your cognitive functions, research shows that gardening is effective in keeping your mind sharp. Not only does it help improve your memory, but it also takes care of your plants for even a few hours a day to reduce your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
2. Keeps you active, fit
In the book “Fitness the Dynamic Gardening Way,” author Jeff Restuccio explained to WebMD that you can turn your gardening into a structured exercise routine. So if you’re not going to the gym due to the pandemic, growing vegetables in your backyard is a perfect alternative to your workouts, as three hours of gardening equals one hour of gym session. Also, you don’t need to pay a membership fee. It is beneficial for your body and your wallet!
3. Provide a healthier diet
By growing your own food, you will have more control over what you eat into your body. Freshly picked fruits, vegetables, and herbs have more nutrients than you would normally buy at the store. On top of that, growing your plants sustainably will make the products richer and more delicious, making it easier to incorporate more vegetables into your diet.
4. Relieves stress
The relaxing nature of gardening activities is in itself a stress reliever. Studies also showed that caring for plants on a daily basis can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Not only that, exposure to sunlight causes your body to produce vitamin D, and in turn, vitamin D produces serotonin, which is a brain chemical that makes you happy.
5. Helps sleep
Doing physical activities like gardening won’t just tire you out at the end of the day. Thanks to the light therapy that the sun gives off, you’ll also have the right melatonin to help you get a good night’s sleep, realigning your sleep patterns for an energetic morning the next day.
Your indoor plants are also an important factor in a good night’s sleep. Plants with air cleaning properties can clean particles from the air and remove harmful chemicals, leaving you with excellent air quality while you sleep.
6. Strengthens immunity
Being exposed to enough “the sunshine vitamin” also keeps your bones, teeth, and muscles healthy, not to mention boosting your immune system. The soil in your garden harbors good bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae, a “friendly” soil bacteria that also helps strengthen your immunity.
Participating in gardening activities benefits our overall health, from physical to mental. That’s why buying that basil plant you’ve been looking at for a long time is already a great start.
And what better way to start your gardening journey than to use recyclable materials to help with environmental sustainability efforts.
Fortunately, with initiatives such as ARC Refreshments Corp’s “Grow as One” campaign that promotes sustainable urban gardening, we have support to create our own garden, no matter how small. The “Grow as One” campaign shows the company’s resilience amid the new normal. Through this campaign, the employee-led project called “My Gulay Garden” was launched. It aims to encourage the community to recycle bottles of RC Cola PET (polyethylene terephthalate) as containers in growing their plants.
Given both the short and long-term positive impact of gardening on our health, it stands to reason that the environment receives the same as well. Because why do we need good health, if the earth, the very home in which we live, dies. So consider growing fruits, vegetables, or herbs. Reduce. Re-use. And recycle those PET bottles.
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