Gardening makes you healthy: effect of gardening love

Properly done, gardening supports physical and mental health. You can find out exactly why gardening is so good for us here.

What many garden lovers have always felt is also proven in studies from various countries: gardening has many positive effects on us humans. This includes not only the promotion of physical, but also mental health. We will show you how gardening affects the gardener and how healthy and safe gardening can be successful. In this way, you are not only doing something good for your garden, but also for yourself.

Gardening can promote physical health

Exercise in the fresh air helps to stay healthy. Of course, this only applies if you actually become active: Listlessly tugging around in the bed and turning on the lawn sprinkler alone do not count. Swing the spade, layer yours compost around or spread a cubic meter of mulch in the beds. You will definitely be rewarded, as we will show below.

How sunlight promotes health

Exposure to sunlight has clearly proven effects on our physical health. The formation of the vital vitamin D, the lowering of blood pressure and the strengthening of the immune system are just some of the well-known effects. Sunlight also ensures that our inner clock works: those who are outside a lot find it easier to wake up and fall asleep. Sunlight also has a positive effect on the skin and can relieve eczema and neurodermatitis.

Effects on the circulatory system and the musculoskeletal system

Light to moderate activity trains the cardiovascular system, which, if exercised regularly, can lead to permanently lower blood pressure and cortisol levels. This has been shown to prevent heart disease. Cortisol also affects the utilization of carbohydrates and fats. In addition to calorie consumption, regular gardening can therefore protect against obesity and type 2 diabetes. The variety of movement sequences also promotes the mobility of joints, which can prevent joint problems. Gardening also benefits the bones: Studies show that gardening prevents osteoporosis. It is also a healthy balance for people who are exposed to one-sided physical stress at work. Anyone who sits, stands or lifts a lot often has unevenly developed muscles. The variable movements involved in gardening help to compensate for this and prevent postural errors. Older or disabled people in particular can benefit greatly from gardening: it can offer them sufficient activity to stay in shape as much as possible.

effects on the sense of sight

Working in the garden is even valuable for our sense of sight: Those who spend a lot of time indoors and look at screens for a long time tend to be far more nearsighted. The movement in free space, on the other hand, ensures that your eyes also have to adjust to objects that are far away, thus slowing down the deterioration of your sense of sight.

Effects on the immune system

The immune system is not only strengthened by sunlight in the garden. Through contact with the soil and plants, the gardener comes into contact with various microorganisms. Soil bacteria sometimes have a surprisingly large influence on our immune system. Some apparently stimulate our defense mechanisms and thus make us less susceptible to diseases.

Produce healthy fruit, vegetables and herbs yourself

Anyone who runs a vegetable or herb garden produces healthy food. This often leads to a broadening of the food spectrum. According to studies, kitchen gardeners tend to consume more fruits and vegetables overall, which gives them a big boost in terms of heart and metabolic health. The products from your own garden are also usually free of pesticides. freshness Medicinal herbs from the garden Using it to treat minor ailments is often more effective than buying dried herb in tea or capsule form.

Garden safely and healthily

Gardening is only a win for us when it is done safely and healthily. We have put together the most important tips for safe and healthy gardening so that you can take advantage of the benefits without being harmed.

• Everyone who moves in the garden should have an existing tetanus vaccination.
• Depending on the type of work, you should put on the appropriate protective clothing. It prevents you from being harmed while working with or without equipment.
• Protect yourself from communicable diseases by avoiding insect and tick bites.
• Protect yourself from sunburn and extreme heat.
• Only work with motorized or electronic devices if they work properly and always act according to the manufacturer's specifications! Do not be afraid to ask someone for advice and help if you do not feel confident using the device. The same applies to handling chemicals and fertilizers. Careless use of either can harm you and others.
• Be careful with your own body. Lift carefully and never out of the strength of your back. Instead of hurting yourself as a result of overconfidence, ask for help. Instead of kneeling, squat or use knee pads consistently.

Gardening can promote mental health

You are probably familiar with the expression that a mentally balanced character is “grounded”. Not only experience shows that gardening makes you happy. Science is also on the trail of this phenomenon, so that garden therapy is now a recognized building block in many social projects and psychological treatment concepts.

effects on the psyche

Connecting to nature and having a relationship with the food you eat has been shown to be a reliable source of confidence, contentment, relaxation and happiness in general. The reasons for this have been revealed at least in fragments so far:

• Our body uses solar energy to produce vitamin D. A sufficient supply of it makes the development of depression less likely.
• Gardening activity has been linked to stress reduction in experiments. Regular gardeners are therefore less prone to stress-related diseases.
• Gardening encourages creative and action-oriented thinking, so it has been proven to alleviate and slow down the development of dementia.

Experienced Productivity

In today's working life, one's own productivity is often difficult to grasp. Carrying out work that leads to a self-made product that can be touched, experienced or even eaten is therefore no longer a matter of course for many people. For this reason, gardening is often experienced as very meaningful and satisfying. Not only physically, mentally or emotionally handicapped people, but also normal "desk workers" can experience the pride of creating something with their own hands. This generates new experiences and self-confidence.

Gardens connect people

Gardening often has a social aspect. Talking to your neighbors at the garden fence, talking to strangers and friends about swapping seeds, young plants or sections of perennials or to give away excess vegetables - the garden always provides occasions to exchange ideas with the environment and thus also promotes our social life Networking. Since we are social creatures, this is also important for us to stay mentally and physically healthy.

If you want to start gardening right now, with all the advantages that gardening has, here is an article for you gardening with children. Because children also benefit immensely from the time and experience in the garden.