Healthy Habits - The Pulse on Heart Health
Healthy Habits
by Katie Cook, BSN, RN
Ever get that feel good feeling after a day spent outside? Do you have a sense of pride with your flower or vegetable garden? The truth is, gardening and getting outside has excellent health benefits, especially for your heart.
Gardening- particularly vegetablescan help you live more sustainably, as well as reduce the price of fresh produce. If you live in town, you may have to get crafty with some sort of container garden, but these grow fruits and vegetables just as well. You don’t always need a ton of space. Starting small is typically better, especially if you are new to gardening. If you decide you like it, you can always purchase more supplies. This is also a cost effective way to decrease the amount of money spent at the grocery store, too.
Gardening can also be full of functional movements. While pulling weeds, you could be squatting, lunging, or reaching for that pesky quack grass. You may also be raking mulch or spreading compost. If these movements are difficult for you, or you have limited mobility, you can easily modify many of these activities. According to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, among adults 65 years and older, gardening is associated with better cardiac health status, including lower odds of diabetes. Also, the vitamin D we are exposed to from sunlight can help with absorption of calciummaking our bones stronger, and supporting muscle and nerve function.
Mayo clinic also states that getting outdoors is good for your mental health. Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce heart rate and muscle tension. People tend to breathe deeper when outside. This helps to clear out the lungs, improves digestion, improves immune response and increases oxygen levels in the blood.
Gardening routines, like watering and weeding, can create a soothing rhythm to ease stress. Routines provide structure to our day and are linked to improved mental health. Tending to plants and watching them grow, flower, bear fruits and vegetables, can increase satisfaction and decrease stress from day to day lives. It's very gratifying to plant, tend, harvest and share your own food.
Make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew- again, start small, and don’t go too big, or it may cause you more stress. Happy planting!
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