6 Benefits of Growing Plants at Your Home

What had started as a way of living and progressed to being a hobby has now become the need of the hour thanks to the growing concern around global warming. But what many of us don’t know is that this fun and rewarding activity has so many hidden benefits, and is much beyond than just an enjoyable hobby! Here we have listed ten surprising benefits of gardening that makes our life all the more beautiful and cheerful.

* Gardening Is an Excellent Physical Activity

Gardening requires you to do so many activities like pruning, digging, watering the plants, bending, etc. So that makes it a pretty good workout regime as well.Research shows that 3 hours of moderate gardening is equivalent to 1 hour in the gym! So, go ahead, burn those extra calories, and enjoy the physical benefits of gardening!

* Immunity Booster

Gardening helps build immunity and make a person stronger from within! Think about all the Vitamin D your body gets from the exposure to sunlight. Direct contact with the soil that contains millions of germs and bacteria may seem awful to many of us, but this direct exposure actually may help develop immunity against many diseases like cold, flu, infections, psoriasis, allergies, and asthma. So, don’t shy away from digging your fingernails into the soil once in a while!

* Gardening for a Stress-free and Happy Life

Mother nature has blessed us with soil that is enriched with vitamins and minerals. Soil contains a common bacteria called Mycobacterium vaccae which is a natural anti-depressant – it helps release happy hormones in our body. Plant some beautiful scented plants like lavenders, rosemary, and basil to delight your senses. These plants carry therapeutic properties and refresh the mind and soul with their calming fragrances. Caring for the plants and spending some time with your potted plants can be a great stress buster too.

* Gardening for Better Functioning of the Brain

Regularly indulging in gardening activities stimulates the brain functioning power. Studies have revealed that regular gardening may reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s, both of which are illnesses that interfere with our mental ability to perform daily tasks. Gardening is not just a physical activity, but mental focus as well – it helps in cognitive learning.

* Gardening Improves Hand Strength

Gardening improves hand agility and the strength of our hands and joints because of the different activities involved. This is one of the significant benefits of gardening for seniors as it reduces the risk of diminishing strength in the hands that we encounter in our later years of life. Nowadays, gardening is being practised at rehabilitation centres for stroke patients as it is a positive and healthy way of rebuilding the lost strength and agility of hands.

* Gardening Motivates Us to Switch to a Healthy Diet

Imagine that your backyard is full of fresh herbs and veggies that are grown and nurtured by you. Obviously, you will be inclined to include them in your regular diet! Gardening helps you understand the basics of growing anything from scratch, which makes you more conscious towards what you tend to eat.