Flower Growing For Fun

Why did I name this site "Flower Growing For Fun?" Because flower growing or gardening is fun. It is also relaxing and inspiring and, if you get the whole family involved, it can be a great way of sharing special family time together. But perhaps one of the best things about flower growing that is often overlooked, is the amazing benefits it delivers to your health!
 
Health Benefits of Gardening

Gardening is one of the top leisure activities in the United States today. It provides a way to slow down, relax, and forget about your day. Gardening can also provide a creative outlet, a sense of accomplishment and a spiritual link to nature. This chapter will focus on the obvious and non-obvious benefits of gardening and wildlife landscaping.

Through the activities associated with gardening, you are able to obtain exercise, burn calories and reduce stress while reaping the rewards of fresh fruits and vegetables and viewing a variety of wildlife. Studies show that gardeners consume most kinds of vegetables more often than non-gardeners. For many individuals the garden is their only piece of nature.

For years researchers have known that regular physical activity reduces your risk of premature death, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, adult-onset diabetes, osteoporosis, stroke, depression and colon cancer. Gardening and yard work contribute to healthy living. They increase endurance, improve flexibility and provide strength training.

Gardening provides a variety of exercise for the body. Muscles are developed through digging, lifting and raking. Walking, weeding and mowing can accomplish aerobic activity. Best of all, the focus on gardening tasks makes exercise easy.
 
Raking is like using a rowing machine. Turning a compost pile is similar to lifting weights. Carry a gallon of water in each hand and you've got 8 pound dumbbells! Pushing a lawn mower is like walking on a treadmill, only much more interesting. Instead of an expensive gym, gardeners use tools like shovels, rakes, push mowers and wheelbarrows.

If you garden regularly, you're probably getting a healthy dose of exercise. Most research recommends 30 minutes daily of moderate exercise. Gardening uses all of the major muscle groups, the muscles that do most of the calorie burning. Your arms, legs, buttocks, shoulders, back and stomach muscles all get a workout. During 30 minutes of active gardening, a 180-pound person can burn the following number of calories:

• Raking - 162
• Bagging leaves - 162
• Weeding - 182
• Mowing with a push mower - 182
• Digging or tilling - 202
• Planting trees - 182
• Planting seedlings - 162

Best of all, you can break these activities into short sessions over the course of the day without losing health benefits. Weeding for 10 minutes in the morning and raking or bagging leaves for 20 minutes in the evening gives you the same benefits as 30 minutes of continuous activity.

As with any form of exercise, it's important to warm up properly and ease into the activity. Begin by spending 10 minutes stretching arm, back, neck and leg stretches before starting to garden. It also helps to take stretch breaks periodically and to change the type of work you're doing rather than forcing your self to finish a task. Repetitive motions like edging or pruning can cause injuries. Always remember to bend from your knees and keep your back straight (and don't twist your body) when lifting.

For your comfort, try not to wear brightly colored, flowery clothes. They tend to attract more insects. Wear a sunscreen and a hat if you're going to spend more than just a few minutes outdoors. Choose a sunscreen with a SPF of at least 15. Remember, you can still get sunburn on a cloudy day.

Lightweight gardening gloves will help you avoid splinters, blisters or a nasty cut from hand pruners. And be sure to remember to replenish your body with fluids. A cold bottle of lemonade or water can help keep you hydrated. At the end of the day, reward yourself with a warm, soothing bath!

Just as important as the exercise are the psychological benefits of gardening. Quietly working in your garden is a real stress buster, giving you a break from the hurried rush of everyday life. Not only do you get the luxury of day-dreaming for a couple of hours, you also get the satisfaction of viewing what you've accomplished.

Gardening also connects you to people. It's like taking a walk with a new baby or a new puppy. Everybody talks to gardeners and gardeners love to talk to each other. Comparing notes is always a pleasant learning experience. And planning a new garden provides a creative outlet as well as an opportunity to gather new knowledge, from books as well as people. Planning a garden is a great way to let your personality shine through.

Gardening is also a great activity to do with both kids and the elderly. It's wonderful way to teach science, learn life's lessons and get connected with the rhythms of nature. Put a child and a grandparent in the garden and just watch how much fun they have!

Studies have shown gardening is especially beneficial for those recovering from illness. It promotes an increased range of motion, develops hand-eye coordination, improves motor skills and can even increase self-esteem. For some reason, just looking at a view with plants in it speeds the healing process.

Stress reduction is vitally important to good health. Even better, taking the garden indoors and cooking your own freshly raised produce offers the added benefits of healthy food and more family time.

Gardening or strolling in a garden is a great natural stress reliever. While stress plays havoc physiologically, even depleting our bones, research shows that gardeners do not suffer from osteoporosis because of weight bearing activities like digging, raking, squatting to plant shrubs, lifting bags of soil, or pushing a lawnmower. Because gardening is a beloved hobby, gardeners lose track of time and therefore do not age while immersed in their passion! In addition, gardening lowers blood pressure, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Family bonds are strengthened as families work together on yard care and gardening activities. Children learn work skills and team skills, as well as understanding the power of patience when it comes to nature.

Gardening is a universal language that can bring a community together. Gardening conversations and activities bring neighbors together, melting differences between racial and ethnic groups.

Not only do plants contribute monetarily to the value of property, they also contribute to a higher quality of life and benefit society. Researchers found that accessibility to nature was the most important factor, after marriage, in life satisfaction.

Gardening offers many different healing benefits such as exercise, stress reduction, structured learning, social interaction and leisure activities. Garden-grown food and flowers have much to offer gardeners because of their beauty and tangible rewards. People with special needs or mental illness greatly benefit from a practice called horticultural therapy. It brings people to a reassuring environment and allows them to get comfortable and interact with nature and the plant world.

Working and weeding in the garden offers gardeners a place to relax and enjoy the serene beauty of the outdoors. The sights and smells of the garden environment is calming and eases your stress by completely engrossing you in the natural world. A garden's positive effects can help lower blood pressure and inspire meditation and reflection.

Gardening is also a key tool for improved health by providing exercise, stress reduction, and relaxation. From the medical perspective, researchers have documented that people who interact with plants recover more quickly from everyday stress and mental fatigue.

Studies show gardening may help battle Alzheimer's, since gardening stimulates the mind on a daily basis. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) notes that people who are very mentally active are 47 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's. Not only can wildlife landscaping help prevent Alzheimer's, but it is also stimulating for those who have already developed the disease.

Gardening requires hard work and dedication. The reward for this effort is a great sense of accomplishment and increased self-esteem. Gardening fosters optimism from watching plants grow throughout the season and seeing the fruits of your labor develop into food. Gardeners can share the delicious fruits and vegetables harvested with family, friends and neighbors. A successful growing season provides a great sense of achievement.

Landscapes are a wonderful way to observe nature. The garden landscape helps connect you to the natural rhythms of the seasons and natural cycles. Growing colorful flowers and ornamentals allows for creative expression in decorating and art. Cooking garden produce brings creativity into the kitchen with fun and nutritious meals to share with family and friends.

Families with home vegetable gardens eat more fruit and vegetables for improved nutrition. For families on limited incomes, fresh fruits and vegetables may be a luxury they can't afford. The home garden supplies fresh fruits and vegetables and at the same time gives over a 20-fold increase in the value of produce grown compared to material costs.

Gardening and wildlife landscaping can help individuals learn to how manage stress. Learning how to manage stress has the short-term benefits of giving people some sense of control in their lives, providing them with positive coping strategies, and making them more relaxed and healthier. The long-term benefits can be a stronger immune system, proper hormonal balance, and reduced susceptibility to serious, life-threatening diseases like heart disease and cancer.

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