There are few activities more nourishing for both body and soul than planting and tending a garden.
Gardeners have long known that the physical process of working with soil, water, and sunlight to coax a tiny seed through the miracle of growth and maturity has effects that go well beyond the pleasure of eating a strawberry or smelling a rose. A growing body of research shows that gardening is good for our physical and mental health.
First of all, as anyone who has hauled bags of mulch or dug up tough perennials knows, gardening can be strenuous exercise.
Even “light” gardening, which could include activities such as weeding and watering, burns approximately 330 calories per hour for a 154-pound person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If done regularly, gardening can definitely contribute toward physical fitness goals….