Aside from the natural Vitamin D that you likely think of when enjoying outdoor gardening, there are other vitamins you gain when participating in gardening activities which can diminish your stress levels and help you live a longer, healthier life.
Vitamin D is produced by the sun and can help protect your body from certain cancers and heart disease linked to stress. But, there are other elements in the activity of outdoor gardening that can plan an important part in exposing your body to beneficial vitamins and minerals.
The exercise you get from gardening helps to increase your bone strength and provide you with a healthy immune system that’s better able to fight off diseases and chronic illnesses.
Playing with dirt can also benefit you by providing natural types of minerals, bacteria and microorganisms which are vital to your health and mental well-being. And, the serotonin produced by the brain when gardening diminishes the effects of stress and depression.
Avid gardeners claim they do it for relaxation and relief from stress of daily life. Stress can zap the positive effects of everything you do unless you counteract it with a positive element – and gardening is that element for many people.
Valuable vitamins aren’t only found by digging the soil and getting exercise, but may come from the harvest of vegetables and fruits. When grown without harmful chemicals, they can greatly add to both physical and mental health.
Surprisingly, studies have found that those people suffering from anxiety, depression and other disorders such as ADHD gain more effectiveness from gardening than they do from taking prescription medications.
Poorly grown vegetable that use GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) to increase shelf life also affect our bodies and minds in negative ways. When you grow your own vegetables, you can use natural methods to produce them and enjoy the benefits of organically grown food.
The natural soil that can grow your own plants and nurture your garden can add many vitamins to your table – and your body. The vitamin intensity of your home-grown garden is the healthiest way to get your daily vitamin doses.
Between the sun’s healing rays and growing your own food naturally, you can receive an abundance of vitamins the natural way. Your food will taste better and your sense of well-being improves tenfold.
Be sure to keep your gardening activity “doable.” If you have time to enjoy and cultivate a large garden, it may be the best choice. Just don’t make gardening a chore that adds to your stress levels rather than reduce it.
To get the most from the vitamins and energy – plus well-being – that can come from gardening, create a space that’s yours and yours alone. It can be a place for meditation if you leave your cell phone indoors and relax and soak up all that nature has to offer.
Nature’s pure vitamins you get from gardening can transform your life and give you a sense of purpose. Communing as one with nature by creating a garden space can benefit you in so many ways and satisfy all the senses to relieve stress.