How gardening can help your physical health.
Gardening is relaxing, calming and meditative. But you might be surprised to know that it can also be a massive boost to our physical health. At Bloom Sheffield we know that gardening is good for you. Planting, weeding, digging and sowing gets us outside, keeps us moving and has loads of positive effects on our overall health.
Not convinced? Read on to find out four ways that gardening can help your physical health:
Easy exercise
Who needs weights when you’ve got a bag of soil? Gardening is a task made up of lots of movements that might actually work your body more than you think.
Digging, raking and planting can raise your heart rate, whilst bending, stretching and reaching for your watering can or gardening tools can tone and stretch your muscles. Not bad for a relaxing time spent in the garden!
Builds stamina
What’s more, gardening is a great way to build some activity into your routine. No matter the season, plants require our attention – meaning there’s always something to be doing outside.
And regular physical activity, whether that's pulling up weeds or tending to your budding flowers, has been shown to have massive benefits to our physical health.
Mental health
It’s been proven that gardening is good for our mental health. And a healthy mind also means a healthy body. Getting outside and enjoying all that nature has to offer can help us feel calmer and reduce feelings of anxiety or stress.
It can also help boost our mood too. When we feel joy from something, from finishing potting some Dahlias to seedlings finally sprouting, our body releases endorphins.Endorphins are vital for our bodies: they’re natural pain and stress relievers and support a healthy immune system.
Healthy living
If you’re lucky enough to have an allotment (or a few tomato and herb plants you care for!) Growing your own vegetables helps make it a lot easier to have a more nutritious and wholesome diet.
And although the UK isn’t always the warmest, when the sun does shine gardening is a great way to soak up the sun rays and take in some vitamin D. Vitamin D is vital for our physical health, impacting our bones, immune system and increasing our energy levels.
As temperatures rise, why not join us at one of our Gather & Grow sessions? It’s a chance to feel the sun on your skin, meet some lovely people and pick up some new skills.
Join us!
Maybe you’d like to pop in once in a while to pull weeds, get dirt under your fingernails, and feel the sunshine on your skin. Maybe you would like to meet some lovely people and learn new skills? Either way, our Gather & Grow Sessions could be for you.
Or if you’re feeling down, anxious, or overwhelmed, you can join our 8-week therapeutic horticulture course for women and non-binary people. We’ll work with you closely to set achievable goals and create a personalised programme designed to improve your mental wellbeing. As part of a supportive group of like-minded people, you’ll plant, weed, dig, sow, and sip tea in the fresh air until things start to feel easier.
Thank you so much to Bridie Wilkinson, who wrote this wonderful blog post for us and to Alina Trifan, who photographed it.