News

The benefits of gardening

Whether you’re growing fruit and veggies, flowers or succulents, getting your green thumb on can have a surprising number of health benefits.

Depending on the size of your garden, maintaining it can be also be a great way to be physically active. This could be as strenuous as mowing the lawn, or as gentle as getting a good stretch and practice stabilising yourself while kneeling, sitting or reaching. 

In fact, gardening is a recommended activity as it can encourage the use of many motor skills, improve endurance and strength and keep you moving.

Gardening is also a great way to relax, providing opportunities to still the mind and get away from the busyness of everyday life. There is even evidence to suggest that gardening can help ease symptoms of mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. 

Whether you’re gardening by yourself, or getting the whole family involved, it’s a great way to spend some time outdoors, away from screens and to-do lists, and engage with nature. From repetitive tasks like weeding that provide opportunity for meditation, to practising patience while waiting for plants to grow, gardening is a great exercise for your mind as well as your body.

 

Source: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/health-benefits-of-gardening