Getting in touch with nature and unplugging for a bit can have positive impacts on your health. Here are all the ways Gardening can  help you become a happier healthier person.

1. Burns more calories than a gym

Gardening could just be your respite from those strenuous gym visits. How, you ask? The key lies in the duration of a session. Though a low-intensity workout, gardening can last much longer than a trip to the gym. You are burning calories right within your home while you indulge in a little weeding.

2. Exposure to stimuli

Besides the flashing monitor in the gym, there isn’t much to be exposed to in terms of stimuli. On the contrary, gardening exposes you to the sights and sounds of the outside world and the natural environment is known to reduce  feelings of pain and anxiety. Exercise in itself helps lower blood pressure, which in turn improves your mood and self esteem. Now, if this exercise happens in the great outdoors, it could have a synergistic effect with a greater positive impact on one’s health.

3. Your happy little pill

What’s the upside to getting your hands all dirty? The bacteria present in the soil have a positive impact on one’s mood. Higher levels of serotonin are expected in people exposed to these bacteria. An increased appetite, sleep quality and vitality are linked to them, which in turn improves the overall quality of one’s life. All that time in the dirt, actually helps your well being, who would have thought?

4. Cleaner Air

Gardens help restore the oxygen content in the air, which is otherwise marred by pollution. Pollution from traffic is linked with pigmentation, spots, lines and wrinkles. Now, do you see how gardens essentially benefit your skin? They do so by reducing the content of pollution and increasing the oxygen in the air. This is ultimately linked to retarding skin aging, which seems to be what everyone is after.

5. Organic Food

Organic food is known to have more beneficial nutrients such as antioxidants when compared to commercially grown products. Organic produce has fewer levels of chemicals such as fungicides, insecticides and herbicides and is fresher without preservatives. Also, it’s produced on a smaller scale, like in your garden. You would know exactly what went into growing the produce. It’s also better for the environment as it helps conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility and much more.

Save the environment and in turn, yourself as well. Take up gardening right away and see how your life transforms. Go green and make the world a greener place.