Garden for the Cure (and for Your Health)
As you probably know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and Ethel joined in with a pair of Susan G. Komen gloves, from which a portion of the proceeds go to Susan G. Komen For the Cure. It's no secret that excercise and eating healthfully can improve your over all health and well being, as well as decrease your risk of many kinds of cancer.
Gardening rates up there with other forms of exercise, like walking and bicycling, according to the University of Virginia. We've all heard about the benefits of exercise on our health: it's good for your heart, reduces symptoms of arthritis, lower risk of osteoporosis, stroke, and diabetes, reduces blood pressure, reduces risk of premature death and so much more. Of course it depends on what kind of gardening you're doing, digging holes for new plants is much more strenuous than watering the lawn. Get out in the garden for at least 30 minutes a day to get maximum benefits. Gardening isn't just good for the body, it's good for the mind as well. Many studies point to the restorative benefits of being nature; lower stress and blood pressure levels, quicker healing after surgery and immunity boosting benefits. Gardening also encourages us to get out into the sun to for a good dose of vitamin D, which helps keep seasonal depression away and helps us sleep better at night. If you want to take the health benefits of gardening to the next level, add a vegetable garden to your landscape. Growing vegetables is a convenient way to add more vegetables into your diet. It's also a great way to engage kids and encourage them to eeat more vegetables. The benefits of eating more vegetables range from: lowering blood pressure and reducing risk of heart attack and stroke, along with some forms of cancer; to slowing the effects of aging and improving energy levels.
I have personally experienced many great rewards from gardening: my body is strong and healthy, I sleep better at night, it provides healthy vegetables for my table, as well as reducing my stress levels and keeping me sane. Join me in gardening for your health. Order up a pair of Susan G. Komen gloves, grab your trowel, and plant some vegetables in your garden. Visit our facebook page for a special discount on the SGK glove during the month of October.
Why do you garden? Have you noticed any healthy benefits?