Plant, water and weed your way to better health in just 30 minutes a day
Written By Carol Occhuizzo and Lorraine Chiminiello
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[dropcap]Gardening has long been a source of bountiful healthy produce and vibrantly blooming flowers. But if you only think of juicy, sun-ripened tomatoes, freshly picked ears of corn or a mason jar filled with summer flowers as the benefits of gardening, you may be missing gardening’s greatest benefits: physical fitness and improved mental health. Surprisingly, gardening benefits are as abundant as your neighbor’s zucchini crop![/dropcap]Raking in Good Physical Health
Researchers have found that you can reap almost the same health benefits from gardening as you would from a workout in the gym. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention labels gardening as a “moderate cardiovascular exercise.” Many health professionals consider it the ideal form of physical activity because it combines all three types of exercise: stretching, endurance and strength.
Balance, coordination and flexibility can also be improved with a minimum gardening routine of 30 minutes, three times a week. According to the American Council on Exercise, 60 minutes of steady gardening—digging, weeding, mulching—is the equivalent of 10,000 steps a day, or walking five miles. The National Institutes of Health has even recommended 30 to 45 minutes of gardening three to five times a week as a strategy to fight obesity.
The pleasures of gardening make it one of the fastest growing physical activities in the United States today, second only to walking. Done properly, gardening can provide the exercise needed to stay healthy for life.
“I love gardening and working in the yard,” notes Holly Kerstetter, new mother of 6-month-old daughter Callie and teacher at General Stanford Elementary in Newport News, Va., who supplements her daily exercise workouts with time outside during the warm summer months. “I want to set a good example for my daughter so she will know the importance of healthy eating and a lifetime of healthy outdoor activity.”
Long-time gardeners don’t need to be told about these and other research findings on the benefits of gardening. They have experienced what researchers confirm: gardening lowers blood pressure, improves sleep, lessens the effects of depression and anxiety, elevates mood and reduces the chance of diabetes and osteoporosis.
“I have been gardening all my adult life,” says Julia Shoup, retired nurse and Williamsburg, Va., resident. “I am never happier than when I am in the garden. Every summer, as I begin gardening, I find muscles I didn’t know I had…and I certainly sleep well after a day in the garden!”
Sowing the Seeds of Mental Health
The therapeutic benefits of gardening exceed the physical. The American Horticultural Therapy Association promotes gardening as a way to improve memory as well as cognitive and language skills. The AHTA reports that gardening has been found to decrease the recovery time of patients with long term illnesses. It is widely recognized that the stress reduction benefit of gardening is probably the greatest benefit to mental well-being.
Recognizing these benefits, the James City County/Williamsburg Master Gardeners conduct gardening programs throughout the year at such facilities as Patriot’s Colony, Williamsburg Landing, Spring Arbor, Morningside, Chambrel and Eastern State Hospital. These programs provide hands-on gardening experience to residents in order to improve well-being as well as meet residents’ special needs.
“It is amazing to see a resident with memory loss respond to the smells of the garden,” says Phyllis Jennings, Colonial Triangle Herb Society member and Master Gardener, when describing the time she handed a non-communicative man a sprig of oregano. “He smelled the leaf, smiled for the first time that day and said ‘pizza!’ It is heartwarming to see old memories evoked with the sense of smell.”
[quote]Done properly, gardening can provide the exercise needed to stay healthy for life. [/quote]Master Gardener volunteers like Jennings are trained to instruct the residents in gardening techniques while utilizing the garden’s connection to the five senses to improve memory, language and social skills.
Healing the Weary Heart
Gardening can also be restorative. Aside from replenishing the mental and physical energy of those dealing with personal stress, it also benefits caregivers. Those who create gardens, as well as those who just enjoy their beauty, mention the same calm and serenity they feel while enjoying the healthy benefits of gardening. The gardens of Hospice House and Support Care of Williamsburg are a prime example of the nurturing care that comes from being surrounded by the beauty of nature. These gardens were created by landscape designer Peggy Krapf, owner of Heart’s Ease Landscape and Garden Design of Williamsburg, when Hospice House was built in 2002. When these gardens were first designed and built, the goal was to have them reflect the mission of Hospice House, which is to enhance the quality of living for individuals facing the last phases of life and to support the people they love. Krapf embraced the challenge of designing gardens to fulfill this need, and the end result is a group of gardens to reflect the “home away from home” feeling of Hospice House.
“A calmness and peace comes over me when I approach the Hospice gardens,” describes Mindy Knuppel, Hospice House Guild president. “We want the beauty and serenity of these gardens to be experienced by Hospice House guests, their families and friends. To ensure this happens, we have enlisted a dedicated group of volunteers to maintain the gardens year round.”
Harvesting the Bounty
If you don’t have a garden, why not begin now? Start a garden in your own backyard. Schedule your garden workout in the early morning or late in the afternoon when the temperature is mild to safely improve your mind and body. Tackle the weeding, mulching and cultivating, knowing that not only will your yard look better, so will you.
With just 30 minutes a day, three or four times a week, experts say you will see a marked improvement in your physical and mental well-being. And of course, you will also get the added benefits of the plump juicy tomato in your salad, or those fresh cut flowers in the mason jar on your windowsill. No treadmill can do that for you.