Physical Benefits
There is no doubt that the practice of gardening provides physical benefits to gardeners. This includes both the actual process of gardening as an activity as well as just the view and contact of nature. There is now clear and increasing evidence that nature is good for the physical and mental health of human beings and that “a regular dose of gardening can improve ‘public health’" (Gross, 2018).
A study conducted by psychologist Aric Sigman in 2004 suggested that “regular gardening could cut health care costs”, even claiming that “gardening could be saving lives” (Gross, 2018). In a study conducted in the UK, one of the main topics brought up by gardeners include “the importance of being physically active” (Gross, 2018). Another study comparing home allotment gardeners and their neighbors without allotments found that those who were allotment holders and gardeners were more physically active and fit than their neighbors, and this was consistent throughout all ages. Therefore, allotment gardening is linked to a “healthier lifestyle and greater physical activity”, which is particularly beneficial to older populations (Gross, 2018). However, there is a possibility that only active gardeners took part in the studies, and that younger populations practice other forms of physical activity than gardening, which would have affected these results.
There isn’t a lot of research to prove that the practice of gardening will directly improve physical health, but numerous research studies about nature’s benefits to humans have been conducted over the past few years, and they all confirm that contact with nature and spending time in outdoor environments promote physical health.
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There is evidence that the availability of gardens and incorporating gardening in care settings such as hospitals for those with dementia and terminal illnesses can improve physical well-being. One of the most valuable and well-known studies about the physical and quantifiable benefits of nature was completed by Roger Ulrich in 1984. This natural experiment used data from hospitals in which there were two categories of recovering patients: those in rooms with a window view of greenery, and those with a window view of a brick wall. The results showed that patients in rooms with a natural view recovered faster and required less pain relief medication than those who were in rooms with an urban view. The conclusions from this study were supported by another study in Korea where hospital patients were placed in rooms with or without indoor plants. The results demonstrated that those in the room with potted plants spent less time in the hospital and took less pain relief medication. For both of these experiments, the patients were randomly allocated to the rooms, and the data were collected daily by the hospital nurses, so any correlation between the recovery rates of patients and the rooms they were in can be directly attributed to the views they saw.
There is also evidence to support the physiological benefits of nature. For example, lower blood pressure, restoration of attention fatigue, and higher satisfaction with life are all closely associated with interactions in natural environments. A comparison study of outdoor versus indoor exercise indicated that outdoor exercise was linked with “greater feelings of positive engagement, greater energy and lowered levels of tension, anger, and depression” (Gross, 2018). Additional research has shown that greenery boosts the short-term effects of exercise.
In conclusion, it is clear that time spent in contact with nature has its physiological benefits, making it good for our health. Therefore, it would be reasonable to conclude that gardening, as a form of physical activity and contact with nature, would be beneficial for our physical well-being.
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References:
Gross, H. (2018). The psychology of gardening. Routledge.