Gardening For Your Health

What are you doing to stay healthy? Maybe you work out daily or at least once a week. My sister plays tennis, bikes, and walks too. A co-worker uses Zoom to take an exercise class every Saturday and eats a well balanced and nourishing diet.

For myself, walking, eating right, and generally staying as active as possible are my goals. Of course there’s more to staying  healthy than just physical exercise, and gardening  can provide mental as well as physical rewards. If  I’m upset about something,  I get outside and immerse myself in gardening tasks, and I’m able to relax as my mind focuses on the plants and the environment around me.

Working  the soil, planting a garden, taking the time to observe changes as plants grow, these are all activities that are healthy for our bodies as well as our minds. Our children should be allowed to play and get dirty as well; introduce them to plants and gardening by letting them plant their very own small space with a few vegetables or some bright flowers. Help them tend it and you’ll be nourishing your relationships too.

We all lead incredibly busy lives, but more and more time is being spent looking at our phones, tablets, and laptops, inevitably resulting in less movement and more sitting and staring, completely unaware of our surroundings or people. Take a break from the devices for awhile and get outside again. You’ll be glad you did.

By Kris Blevons