In a world where staying indoors thanks to the current pandemic has become the norm, getting out into your garden can be a rewarding experience. Tending to your garden can not only be extremely enjoyable, it can help put food on the table, educate yourself and4 others and can offer keen gardeners a handy set of skills they can use elsewhere.
What you may find surprising however, is that gardeners can actually reap a host of health benefits by indulging in their favourite pastime. If the above benefits aren’t enough to get you out into the garden, trowel in hand, maybe these health perks might help to sway you.
Stress-relief
Everyone can attest to the stress-relieving benefits of being outdoors. Whether it’s ‘forest bathing’ in the woods or simply getting out into the back garden and tending to the flowers. However, there now seems to be solid scientific evidence that time spent in your garden has very real stress reduction benefits.
A dutch study noted that, of those tested who spent the allotted 30 minutes outdoors, nearly all of them felt an improved mood and tests saw a significant reduction in the stress hormone known as cortisol.
Heart health
Keeping our hearts healthy is essential when it comes to living a comfortable, active life and one way of doing so is by increasing levels of exercise. On average, a person should aim to do around 2.5 hours of moderate exercise each week, something that a few trips to the garden can cover easily.
You may not notice it, but all of the trimming, planting and tending you do on a regular basis quickly add up, keeping your heart healthy and even help to reduce the risk of a stroke.
Reducing alzheimer’s risk
While the causes of Alzheimer’s still eludes doctors and researchers to this day, evidence is growing that certain activities can help reduce the incidence of an individual developing the disease. According to a study carried out on 3000 subjects over a period of 16 years, there seemed to be a correlation between gardening and a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers noted that daily gardening was the single biggest contributor to a reduction in risk, seeing drops of 37%. While not fully known why this was the case, it’s argued that because gardening requires exercise, dexterity and problem solving skills, these attributes help to keep the mind and body active.
Invest in quality gardening equipment from A. Mcilrath and Son
While gardening offers a range of heath benefits, it’s essential to have the right tools and resources to bring your gardening vision to life. Supplying an extensive range of Husqvarna products, from pressure washers to cutting-edge lawnmowers, we at A. McIlrath & Son can help make getting out in the garden that much easier.
Get in touch with a member of our team today on 028 7086 8210 or visit our website for more information.