Gardening is one of the most enjoyable outdoor pastimes for people of all ages. It appeals to all of our senses, connects us to nature, and rewards us with lovely flowers or delectable fruits and veggies.
Gardening is a good way for aging bodies to obtain moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity, burn calories, and keep flexible. These are the reasons why gardening is still popular with Americans in their senior years.
Benefits of Gardening
Firstly, gardening can help with exercising and calorie burning. You can burn 200 to 400 calories every hour by planting and pulling weeds. Gardening requires bending, stooping, stretching, and tugging which gets the body moving.
Secondly, gardening is muscle-strengthening. To maintain your muscles from deteriorating, you don’t have to drag a big wheelbarrow around. A few hours of gardening every week will provide you with the necessary exercise.
Thirdly, gardening increases Vitamin D intake. While you don’t want to overdo it, a few hours in the sun will provide you with more vitamin D than a glass of milk every night.
Fourthly, gardening helps reduce stress. Gardening improves hand-eye coordination, which allows the brain and body to work together. It also elevates serotonin, a relaxing chemical in the brain that puts you in a good mood, and lowers stress-producing cortisol levels.
Lastly, gardening has various mental and physical advantages for Alzheimer’s patients. According to research, activities that engage the senses provide persons with Alzheimer’s disease with positive emotions that they may not be able to experience regularly. The gardening treatment uses all of the senses and can aid in the rediscovery of the world by patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
What to Plant
You and your families can work together to raise delicious veggies in containers or on a plot of land throughout the growing season. Seedlings of broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower emerge in the spring. In the early summer, the same can be said about tomatoes and peppers. Strawberries and blueberries may be grown in tiny settings, although they still require some space to spread.
Species are lovely at any time of year, but when growing them outside, stick to flowers that are local to your area. Native flowers are low-maintenance and don’t require a green thumb. The following flowers add a lot of color to a garden:
- Black-eyed Susan
- Iris
- Purple Coneflower
How to Stay Safe
To simplify your gardening experience, it is important to keep to best practices and abide by safety rules too. Even a few minutes outside can be dangerous, especially if you’re in your later years or care for an older parent. Keep yourself safe by:
- Putting on sunblock. Even if the sun isn’t scorching hot, UV radiation can cause the skin to become red and burn. Sunburns that are too severe might be fatal.
- Repair damaged fencing and latching gates. This will aid in the eviction of unwanted animals. If memory loss or roaming is an issue, securing the space is also crucial.
- Having a first-aid kit on hand is a good idea. Cuts, bruises, and insect bites should be treated as quickly as possible.
