Gardening for Health

“Spending more time in my garden,” is a pretty popular answer when you ask people about their retirement plans. There’s a good reason for this. Gardening is relaxing, enjoyable, and great for your health. 

There are so many reasons to choose gardening as a hobby, whether you’re already experienced or if you’re just starting out. Here are just some of the benefits of gardening in your retirement.

Exercise

Gardening is great exercise! You use your whole body while gardening, from walking around the yard to performing lunges and squats when weeding or digging. Even watering is good exercise, as it keeps you moving around while carrying a hose or watering can. 

Digging, raking, mowing the lawn, carrying bags of soil around, and other routine gardening tasks can sometimes burn as many calories as going to the gym. These activities can also help improve your balance and overall strength. 

Being physically active helps regulate your blood pressure, build muscles, improve your range of motion, and much more! In fact, if you’re not used to the physical activity associated with gardening, it’s a good idea to start slow. Take breaks frequently and stop and rest if you start to feel unwell. 

Time Outdoors

Spending time outdoors is good for your health. There’s a tendency to breathe deeper when you’re outside, for example, and fresh air is always good for you. It not only helps clean your lungs and increase oxygen levels, but it can even lower your heart rate and improve digestion.

Natural sunlight is good for you as well. Exposure to sunlight helps your body produce vitamin D, which is important for your immune system. It also helps to strengthen your bones and plays a vital role in red and white blood cell production. Sunlight exposure also helps set your body’s internal clock, so you’ll likely have a better night’s sleep if you’ve been out in the sunlight during the day.

Sunlight can also help your body naturally increase serotonin levels. This neurotransmitter is associated with feelings of wellbeing, and it helps regulate your moods. You’ll be happier and more emotionally stable if you’re regularly spending time in your garden. 

However, if you’re spending a long period in the sun, be sure to wear sunscreen (and reapply often), wear a hat with a brim, and drink plenty of water. 

Get Closer to Nature

Not only are there significant health benefits to being outside, but gardening can also help you get closer to nature. Working with your hands, digging in the soil, trimming plants, and everything else associated with gardening helps a lot of people feel more at peace, calmer, and more relaxed. Gardening also improves mental focus, which is vital for everyone but especially those who are retired. 

Healthy Food

Another benefit to gardening is that you don’t have to just grow flowers and plants, you can grow things you can eat as well! 

Growing vegetables and fruits isn’t as difficult as it seems. Do some research into which edible plants do best in your region then decide what you’re willing to commit to. 

You don’t have to plant and tend to rows and rows of vegetables to have some healthy foods to eat at home. There are a lot of vegetables (such as tomatoes, lettuce, kale, peppers, and cucumbers) that you can grow in pots. 

Build Community

One of the best aspects of gardening for health is that it can be a social activity and help you forged strong connections with others. It may not seem like that at first glance. You might be picturing days alone in your garden, working away, but there’s a very strong community in gardening. 

When you’re outdoors, you’re more likely to strike up conversations with neighbors, and when you’re at the garden center buying flowers, you’ll be able to meet other likeminded gardeners. You may even want to start helping out at a community garden. It’s the perfect place to meet others with similar interests. 

Gardening for Yourself

One of the true joys of gardening is that you can embrace it as much or as little as you want. If your idea of gardening is tending to a few plants in a window box, that’s perfectly fine. If that brings you happiness, that’s great.If you want to overhaul your entire backyard and grow everything from flowers to produce, that’s perfect as well! There are no set rules for gardening and no one who can tell you what to do or how to do it. Even if you’re just starting out and you don’t know anything about gardening, you can learn at your own pace and enjoy the experience. This is why it’s a perfect