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Gardening might be the most comprehensive workout for your body, mind and spirit

There are so many health benefits to gardening, it's kind of ridiculous.

Photo by Ny Menghor on Unsplash

Gardening is a full-body workout.

May in the Northern Hemisphere means gardening season kicks into full swing. Both expert and amateur gardeners are consulting their Plant Hardiness Zones Map (which has changed this. year, by the way) and heading out to their local plants shops to buy vegetable and flower starters, fillings spots amid perennials that are popping up and seedlings started earlier indoors.

Gardening is an enjoyable hobby for some and a dietary necessity for others, but no matter what motivates you to tend a garden, there's no question that it's good for you. In fact, gardening might just be the best exercise there is for overall health.

Anyone who's worked in their yard knows it's surprisingly physical. We have these visions of old people puttering around in their gardens, but that "puttering" is actually a solid workout. Pulling weeds and digging holes may not give you jacked biceps and a snatched waist, but when it comes to the kinds of recommended exercise that can help you live a longer, healthier life, it's hard to beat gardening.

Here are some of the physical, mental and spiritual health benefits of gardening:

Gardening is good for your heart

The Centers for Disease Control consider gardening an official form of exercise, and according to the Mayo Clinic, you might burn as many calories during a busy gardening session as you do at the gym. It's recommended that people get 150 minutes a week of cardiovascular exercise, so gardening for half an hour five days a week will tend both your plants and. your heart.

Gardening has also been shown to lower stress levels. Chronic stress is a significant risk factor for heart disease, gardening can help mitigate that risk.

woman in gardening gloves squatting next to a garden bed

Squatting and pulling are just two ways gardening works your muscles.

Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash

Gardening works every major muscle group

According to Maryland Primary Care Physicians, "Digging, lifting bags of mulch and pushing wheelbarrows all provide strength training similar to weight lifting, which leads to healthier bones and joints." Such activities work every major muscle group—legs, buttocks, arms, shoulders, neck, back and abdomen.

One thing gardening has going for it over other forms of exercise is that most of that muscle work is low-impact, so you get the benefit of a good workout without jarring and stress on your joints.

Gardening can help keep your brain sharp

Those of us who haven't gardened much might assume that it's a pretty basic activity—put plants in dirt, water them sometimes, and voila! A garden. Alas, it's not that simple at all, but the complexity of it actually part of why it's so good for your brain. There are thousands of plants, each with their own specifications for growing and thriving. You have to know about soil composition, you have to take humidity levels, temperatures and sunlight into consideration, and as the weather changes you have to adjust and problem-solve to get the most out of your garden. Perhaps that's one reason why a study found that daily gardening is associated with a 36% reduced risk of dementia.

Gardening is good for overall mental health

In the digital age of constant distractions pulling our attention in a million different directions, gardening can offer a much-needed respite. As Penn State Master Gardener Kayla Oaster writes, "Connecting with the natural world, in general, helps relieve people from attention fatigue. Gardening is a great hands-on experience with nature. Working with the soil, smelling the plants and dirt, feeling the different textures, and seeing all the green foliage and flowers can help relax the mind and ground yourself. When you ground yourself, you reduce stress, anxiety, and even built-up anger."

Psychologist Seth J. Gillihan PhD takes it several steps further, explaining how gardening can help with mental health by helping people practice acceptance of things they can't control (weather, organic growth), moving beyond perfectionism and developing a growth mindset (mistakes will be made), staying in the present (focusing on what's in front of you) and reducing stress.

one person handing another person a bowl of cherry tomatoes

Gardening can help you connect with people.

Photo by Elaine Casap on Unsplash

Gardening connects you to community

While gardening is often a solo activity, the hobby of it connects you to a whole community of gardeners who are often happy to share knowledge, seeds, cuttings and more. Additionally, you can share whatever you grow—vegetables, flowers, whatever—with your neighbors and friends. Gardening offers plenty of opportunity to socialize, and having strong social ties is linked to increased resilience to anxiety and depression.

Gardening can be a meditative—some might say spiritual—practice

As you connect your hands with the Earth on the outside, you can also connect with yourself—your soul, your spirit, whatever you want to call your inner being—on the inside. Many people find gardening to be a meditative practice that helps them practice mindfulness and inner peace and connection And there are so many qualities needed for gardening that parallel qualities used in spiritual practice—patience, perseverance, surrendering control, reverence for beauty and more. Gardening means being up close and personal with nature, which can help people feel more connected to the source of life, whatever they perceive or beleive it to be. Many religion's scriptures use plant and garden metaphors to elucidate spiritual concepts, so gardening can help us deepen our understanding of spiritual teachings as well.

If you're looking for a comprehensive exercise that will not only provide a healthy workout for your body but also help sharpen your mind and nurture your spirit, try planting and tending a garden. Just make sure it's large or complex enough for you to reap the full benefits.

From Your Site Articles

gardening

Loneliness isbecoming a public health issue.

We live in a time when we're more connected than ever, and yet a recent survey found that most Americans could be classified as lonely — feeling out of step with the world, not creating meaningful relationships, and seeing themselves as disconnected, even when they're with others. That same survey showed that young Americans may be the most lonely demographic. And that's a problem.

Social isolation comes with health concerns, both physical and mental. According to a 2010 study, loneliness could be just as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, it can be a factor in the development of depression, and it can hasten cognitive decline due to a lack of intellectual stimulation.

Now that the problem's been recognized, solutions are coming fast.

Of course, feeling lonely is normal some of the time, just as it's normal to feel anxious or have a low mood once in a while. It's when it becomes prolonged that loneliness is an issue. Transforming loneliness takes perseverance, but there's evidence that isolation doesn't have to be a permanent condition.

In large cities — where one can feel lost even in a crowd — co-working and co-living facilities have become increasingly common.

If you're someone who works from home, you already understand both the ecstasy and the agony of the position (no pants, ever, but also no one to talk to). That's why co-working is so ideal. The space doesn't just give one a space to work, it puts people into contact with one another, allowing them to create small communities where they can bounce ideas off each other, vent, and create friendships that extend beyond happy hour.

Co-living spaces, while not as ubiquitous, also offer a solution to loneliness. They allow like-minded people to live together, work together, and form strong bonds. Unlike traditional roommate situations, this isn't just about a few people sharing the rent — it's also about schedules, interests, and personalities. This ensures that people aren't merely living together; they're forming a cohesive bond for residents that hopefully will last even after they've left the space.

Humans need connection to thrive. Sometimes the best way is through helping others.

A recent study, for example, found that volunteering 100 hours a year (or two hours a week) can have health benefits, especially after experiencing a loss. When researchers studied older people who had lost a spouse, they found that those who made volunteering a regular part of their routine were able to bounce back more quickly. Volunteering has also been shown to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. And researchers have suggested that this can work for all groups of people.

All this means greater hope for the future.

It's no surprise that former surgeon general Vivek Murthy cited loneliness as an "epidemic" that needs to be treated on a large scale. Part of that treatment is knowledge, and as society becomes more and more aware that loneliness can have painful consequences, it's important for us to work harder to make connections. The people we spend our time with don't just enrich our lives. They could be making them longer too.

The amazing way 5 minutes can affect your child's learning experience.

Because sometimes kids just need to get the 'wiggles' out.

True

Remember what it was like as a kid trying to sit still in a classroom all day?

Maybe you didn't get enough sleep the night before. You woke up late, rushed through breakfast, and raced to catch the bus to school. You tried to remain still and quiet in class for hours, but even though you wanted to learn, all your extra kid-energy made it hard to focus. Sound familiar?

Classrooms are amazing places of learning where kids discover more about the world, learn social skills, and hopefully cultivate a lifelong sense of wonder.

But they’re also places built around desks and chairs and seated work — something we’re learning isn’t great for adults, let alone growing kids.

Boo knows she needs to learn her ABCs, but she just can't right now. GIF from "Monsters, Inc."

With easy access to mobile phones, video games, and streaming video — not to mention parents' busy schedules — kids today can spend a lot more time sitting down than they used to.

That's not great news.

The CDC recommends that children get 60 minutes of physical activity a day, but government research shows that most children typically get less than 20 minutes. Too much sitting can contribute to low self-esteem, emotional outbursts, or even bullying, as kids look for ways to release their pent-up energy, anxiety, and stress.

If we want to help kids grow up to be their best selves, they need to be able to move and play during their school day, with all the running, dancing, and goofing around that comes with it.

So, how do teachers and parents get kids moving more? The answer is simple: a five-minute "brain break."

Brain breaks are the creation of GoNoodle — an online video service for teachers and parents looking for fun ways to get kids moving. Log on to the GoNoodle website and there's a huge library of videos to choose from — everything from yoga-inspired stretches to dance-a-longs to breathing exercises — all designed to help kids release extra energy and get ready to refocus and learn.

"Together with teachers, parents, schools, and businesses we are on a mission to get kids moving. The response to GoNoodle is amazing. In just over two years we've built an audience that rivals the top websites for kids, with one unique difference — GoNoodle gets kids moving." — Scott McQuigg, CEO and co-founder of GoNoodle.

Image by iStock.

All that moving around really adds up. As of January 2016, more than 480,000 teachers in 68,000 schools have brought "brain breaks" into their classrooms — with 10 million kids participating.

In Tennessee alone, students logged an amazing 100 million minutes of physical activity with GoNoodle, all since the beginning of the school year. They're part of a huge cohort that has used GoNoodle to move for an absolutely astounding 3 billion minutes between last August and this May.

How do you get 40 Kinders ready to go back to class??? 🎈 FLOW!! 🎈#breathe #relax #kinderschillout These short videos are great getting the kids heart rates back down and ready to focus back in class. ❤️~ @amber_j14 @shasta1414
A photo posted by GoNoodle (@gonoodle) on Apr 14, 2016 at 10:54am PDT

Not only are kids moving a lot more, they're also doing better in their schoolwork.

Image by iStock.

Plenty of studies show the connection between physical activity and a sharp mind. A 2010 study comparing test scores of 9- and 10-year-old kids who exercised regularly with those who didn't showed that the more active kids scored better on every single test. Another study used MRI brain scans to show how active, healthy kids have a better-developed hippocampus — the part of the brain responsible for long-term memory.

There's research specific to GoNoodle too. In 2015, an independent research company compared a school-year's worth of standardized math test scores for two groups of students and found that those who participated in "brain breaks" scored 50% higher than those who didn't.

Students aren't the only ones benefitting; some teachers are also big fans and are using Instagram to share awesome videos of their classes participating.

#tbt to this Cheerleader dance party at Julia Green Elementary! 📚 Have a happy day, GoNoodlers!
A video posted by GoNoodle (@gonoodle) on Jun 16, 2016 at 5:54am PDT

It's clear that helping kids be their bestest, silliest, most active selves makes a real difference for kids — on and off the report card.

Classrooms aren't always fun places for all kids. Making going to school a more joyful, engaging, and playful part of a kid's day can improve their lives in real, meaningful ways. So, take a five minute break, kids! Your brain will thank you.