Gardeners Live Longer

Picture an old French or Greek couple who work in their garden all day long, eat butter, cheese and other rich foods and drink wine everyday. Chances are they'll outlive sedentary office workers in spite of their diet, because of the mental and physical health they develop through gardening.

Gardening has many benefits besides beautifying your neighborhood and giving you giant zucchinis every year.

• Cardiovascular health 
• Endurance 
• Muscle strength 
• Go green 
• Healthier diet 
• Continuous learning 
• Esthetic satisfaction

According to the National Institutes of Health Newsletter, regular gardening -- at least 2 1/2 hours per week doing repetitive work like weeding or shoveling -- gives you cardiovascular strength and endurance. Add some heavy gardening to that, more work than your muscles are used to doing, and you strengthen your muscles too. Besides that, gardeners learn new things continuously which stimulates the brain, and they are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables. Add to that the esthetic satisfaction of a beautiful and productive garden and the pleasure of sharing your flowers and produce, and you improve your mental health.

Safety Precautions

Use a sunscreen between 15 and 30 SPF. Wear a hat. Drink water. Try to do most of your gardening before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.to avoid the most intense sunlight. Wear gloves. Get a tetanus vaccination every 10 years, as tetanus  lives in the soil. If you are going to be gardening for several hours, take some snacks as well as water with you into the garden. After a day of heavy gardening you need some rest, but that doesn't mean lying on the sofa watching a game. The next day, keep moving, but do less intense work and take a nap if possible, to allow your muscles time to grow and heal.

NIH News in Health: Get Moving and Stay Healthy
CDC: Be healthy and safe in the garden
Environmental Health: Allotment gardening and health: a comparative survey among allotment gardeners and their neighbors without an allotment
Social Science and Medicine: "Cultivating health": therapeutic landscapes and older people in northern England.
Journal of the NY State Nurses Association: Gardening: a strategy for health promotion in older women.
Pediatric Rehabilitation: Horticultural therapy: the 'healing garden'and gardening in rehabilitation measures at Danderyd Hospital Rehabilitation Clinic, Sweden.
Health Promotion International: Growing urban health -- community gardening in South-East Toronto.