Perhaps you have made a new years resolution or two for 2018. Many of those resolutions no doubt revolve around living better – becoming healthier, taking better care of ourselves and others, perhaps of our planet too. If you have resolved to improve your health and well-being in 2018, gardening can have a big part to play and can help you to meet your lifestyle goals. Here are some of the reasons why gardening is so good for you:
Growing your own organic food means you will always have access to good quality, unpolluted produce. Organic food is better for you and when you have success with crops you grow in your polytunnel or elsewhere in your garden, you will see also just how much better it can taste. When you grow your own food, you will not have to worry about how much organic produce you can afford, so you will be able to eat a much healthier diet, with less effort and expense.
Of course, the health benefits of gardening do not begin and end with the healthy food that you will be able to grow. Gardening can also improve your health by providing plenty of fresh air and exercise. The more time you spend tending your garden, the more benefits you will see to your physical health. A polytunnel which protects you somewhat from the elements will encourage you to get out in your garden even in inclement weather, so you will see even more benefits as you weed, tend and harvest the fruits of your labour.
Gardening is a well known stress-buster. It is also good for our mental well-being in other ways. Gardening reduces depression and more than that, can give our mood a real boost, making us not only calmer but also happier. Contact with the soil can boost our levels of serotonin and dopamine, help to regulate hormones and make us sleep better.
So, one way to keep your new year's resolutions in 2018 is to get out there and get growing! Gardening is good for you in so many ways.
