Search
Powered By HealthLine
Special Offers
Health Tools
 Heart Healthy Diet
 Ideal Body Weight Calculator
 Diet Reviews
 Fitness and Family
 Quiz: Test Your Fitness IQ
 Exercise and Fitness Guide
 Eat Out Smart
 Healthy Cooking
 BMI Calculator
Featured Conditions
 Diet & Exercise
 Stop Smoking
 Food & Fitness
 High Blood Pressure
 Cholesterol
 Heart
Resources
Healthscout News
3D Health Animations
Health Videos
Quizzes & Tools
Health Encyclopedia
Library & Communities
News Archive
Drug Library
Find a Therapist
Enter City or Zip Code:
Powered by Psychology Today



Channels
Home |  Today | Women| Men| Kids| Seniors| Diseases| Addictions| Sex & Relationships| Diet, Fitness, Looks| Alternative Medicine| Drug Checker
 Printer Friendly  Send to a Friend

Gardening: Why Getting Down and Dirty Feels So Good


Related Encyclopedia
 border=
Abdominoplasty
Acidophilus
Ankle Sprains
Antioxidants
More...

Related Animations
 border=
Allergy
More...

Related Healthscout Videos
 border=
Hungry Heart
Surgical Solution (LF)
Heavy Weight Battle
Nutrition and Cancer
More...

Related Drug Information
 border=
Klor-Con
Klor-Con ER
More...

Related News Articles
 border=
Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Cardiovascular Disease
Low Vitamin D Tied to Estrogen Decline
Developmental Delays Linked to Nicotine Gene?
Obese Teen Girls at Higher Risk for MS
More...


Page:  << Prev | 1 | 2

And while some people just can't bring themselves to climb on a treadmill for an hour, it might help to know that when you "feel the burn" in your garden, you've actually produced something in the end -- besides a toned backside.

Beyond physical exertion, gardening also offers a level of serenity that can help a person's mental health, experts said.

"For a lot of people, it's a very soothing activity," Roth said. "You're out in nature, which is a very soothing location. You can turn on whatever music you want. It's a good way to break away from the daily rigor we all go through."

Text Continues Below



Relf said just spending time in your garden can provide health benefits.

She noted a study from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City that found that women recovering from breast-cancer surgery discovered that walks in the garden helped restore their ability to concentrate and reduce their depression.

"After a hard, tense day at the office, a slow cruise around the yard will do wonders to restore your perspective," Relf said. "As you discover seedlings emerging, flower buds opening, even the damage of the tomato hornworm, you forget about the day's worries."

And don't underestimate the stress relief that comes from spending time outdoors after driving your desk in an office all day.

There are several theories why time spent gardening is so soothing, Relf said.

It might be that plants provide a simple aesthetic joy, or that people are responding to ingrained psychological and physical cues borne of thousands of years of evolution. It also may be that caring for plants satisfies the human instinct to nurture and provide support, rewarding good gardeners with colorful and fragrant flowers or luscious, ripe fruits and vegetables.

Which leads to the last reason why gardening is such a health activity -- when it's all said and done, you benefit from a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables.

"It gives you direct access to healthy food," Roth said. "Whatever you put in there, one way or another, it's going to be good for you."

More information

For more on the health benefits of gardening, visit the University of Illinois (web.extension.uiuc.edu ).

Page:  << Prev | 1 | 2

Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 5/5/2006

Related Links
 border=
From Healthscout's partner site on diet & exercise, MyDietExercise.com
QUIZ: What's your ideal body weight?
QUIZ: Check your body mass index (BMI) online!
QUIZ: Rate your carbohydrate intake





SOURCES: Diane Relf, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Department of Horticulture, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; Julie Roth, M.D., Wellness Institute, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago


About The HealthScout Network Contact Us
Copyright © 2001-2009. The HealthCentralNetwork, Inc. All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy: Updated as of April 1, 2009  Terms of Service    
Advertising Policy