Gardening Is Good
Is Gardening Worth The Work?
Gardening is an excellent start in improving your diet, mental health, and physical health. So often nowadays we are absorbed in technology, remaining indoors, and getting very little fresh air. If you are anything like me, when I am overwhelmed I turn towards nature and the beauty of God’s creation. Nature is a place where I am able to find peace, reground, and recenter. So, what is our fear in gardening? Is the work worth the reward? I will tell you 100% yes, and here is why.
Gardening Is Good for the Soul.
Gardening is known to aide in decreasing anxiety, depression, and increase attentiveness. Removing yourself from from the hustle and bustle of our crazy lives can feel nearly impossible, but all I am asking you to do is take 10 minutes out of everyday to focus on yourself. Remove the stressors from your life, walk outside, feel the sun as it glistens off your arms, and form a connection with God’s beauty all around us. Did you know that the sun is one of our main sources of Vitamin D? Vitamin D activates the synthesis of Serotonin in our brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that controls and modulates our mood, cognition, memory, and several other health factors. Vitamin D also works to increase calcium levels in your body. Low Serotonin and Vitamin D levels have been linked with increased risk of depression, some cancers, bone loss, diabetes, and poor sleep to name a few. Your mental health will thank you for giving it the rest it needs.
Gardening Is Good for Your Physical Health.
Gardening is versatile in what it provides you in terms of physical exercise. It works to improve your aerobic endurance, flexibility, dexterity, and strength. It is a great method of exercise for those who do not prefer the traditional ways. It feels purposeful. Not only are you able to see physical differences with yourself by improved stamina and weight loss, you are able to watch soil and a few seeds grow into a beautiful oasis with your help. It is rewarding because you are taking care of something, nurturing it, and in return it is able to provide some necessities of life for you. Think of your relationship with your garden as a symbiotic relationship where both of you benefit. The plant would have a hard time growing without you. You would have to source other avenues to maintain the same level of physical activity and return to buying all your produce at the grocery store without it. I find gardening an easy mode for physical activity because it is something that requires you. Your gym membership will still charge you whether you are there or not and benefit from you, but gardening is different. You are able to see it needs your help and so you provide it, so your motivation and purpose inadvertently contributes to your overall well-being.
Gardening Is Good for Your Diet
Many fruits and vegetables sold in your local grocery store show a lack of nutrients compared to those grown garden-to-table. This is due to the need of farms to produce high yield, fast-growing plants. When you grow a home garden, you control your harvest and are able to provide the plants with the time they need to produce their adequate nutrients. You are also able to control what pesticides and fertilizers go into producing your diet. Not only are you able to control what goes into your body by producing garden-to-table fruits and vegetables, but you will also have a higher drive to eat what you harvest. In return, you will have the opportunity to improve your diet by giving your body more of the nutrients it needs. Diet is one of the most important if not the most important contributions to your health. Having a healthy diet along with the physical activity you can get from gardening, you are putting yourself on the right track to living a better, healthier lifestyle.
Gardening Is Good for Your Bank Account
Today’s market makes it hard to afford anything. With gas prices rising, produce along with everything else is having a hard time making it to the grocery stores and their prices increase as a result. You may walk into your local store and see that many of the shelves are empty or products are sparse. Food insecurity is higher now than ever. You may also notice that your grocery store fruits and vegetables are not lasting as long because of the time it takes for them to reach the grocery stores from the time they are harvested. It may be hard to justify driving 30 minutes to the city to place a healthy meal on your table, so you turn to unhealthy meals with lots of preservatives. Having a garden within footsteps of your door allows you to feel in control, to feel safe. When you go to the grocery store you may notice you are spending $50-60 dollars just on produce for your family for a couple weeks. Imagine if you spent $5 on seeds and $10 on fertilizer to grow enough of the plants you chose to provide for your family for 6 months. That right there is a lot of savings. When you take care of your garden the cost to keep the plants thriving is much less and your plants yields grow. As your gardens harvest increases exponentially, you will be able to help out families around you who may be struggling with food insecurity as well.
Advice: Start small and grow plants you know you will eat. You do not need a large garden to receive these benefits of gardening.
If gardening is not something you feel you are able to incorporate into your life right now, that is okay. All I ask is for you to start by giving 10 minutes of yourself everyday to nature. Go outside, go for a walk, take the garbage cans to the end of the driveway, walk to get the mail, or begin by sitting and soaking its beauty in.
Let’s do this together! Plant a seed in your life, allow the roots to grow, and start your journey to a healthier you today.
