5 Reasons Why You Should Spend More Time in Your Garden

Obviously, more people tend to spend time in their gardens during the warmer months because they host BBQs, garden parties or try to top up their tans. However, for the rest of the year, they are often neglected because they lack the social element, and the cold weather encourages people to stay inside. Getting out into your garden more regularly can do wonders for you both mentally and physically. Read on to find out why you should spend more time in your garden.

Gardening Counts as Exercise

Pottering around the garden doing odd bits and bobs like digging, raking leaves, weeding, planting or watering might not feel like it is particularly active, but it does count as exercise. While, of course, it isn’t as effective as a five-mile run or weightlifting at the gym, it is a great way to get active and burn off some calories.

Gardening is a Great Stress Reliever

Gardening is a known and effective stress reliever; it has been found to lower the levels of cortisol in the blood. This is because the repetitive nature of the tasks can lower blood pressure and encourage a positive or happier mood. Being outside in the fresh air, surrounded by greenery, has proven to have stress-relieving, mood-boosting properties too.

You could even find that by embracing Feng Shui principles in your garden, you could turn into a perfect retreat for those stressful times.

Gardening is Accessible

Gardening is a great hobby to get into. You get to dictate how much time you want to dedicate to it, and you can organise your garden to reflect this. You can learn as you go, it doesn’t take any specific skillset or knowledge base, and it is relatively cheap to get into too. It is the type of hobby that you can tailor totally to your lifestyle.

You don’t need a big garden to enjoy it. Even a small patio or balcony area can provide lots of benefits.

And there are also many community gardens and allotments across the UK for people that want to spend more time in the garden but don’t have enough space.

There’s Great Social Potential

Your garden can be a great place to socialise or host guests, especially if you need more space. Garden parties and BBQs are what the summer is all about, although if you have the right garden set-up, you can host all year round. If you have the budget, you could get garden heaters to keep you warm, and you could also check out the wide array of awnings from Nationwide, for example, to make sure you stay warm and dry, regardless of the time of year and the weather.

Being Outdoors is Great for the Kids

Spending time in the garden is great for children. Unfortunately, in today’s digital age, more and more children are spending their time indoors on their electronic devices, which isn’t necessarily good for their health. Encouraging them to spend more time outside isn’t always easy, but leading by example can help. Getting the kids out in the garden can do wonders for their health; there are also a number of educational opportunities, and it is also an inexpensive way to get them out of the house.

Play Your Part in Protecting Wildlife and Pollinators

If you are concerned about sustainability, you will know that many of our species are under threat, including the pollinators we depend on to fertilise not just flowers, but fruit and vegetables, too.

Planning a wildlife-friendly garden, especially if you have kids, can be great fun and something very positive to do together.

The Bottom Line

Getting outside more is great for your mental and physical health; the power of nature is often surprising. Most people often limit their enjoyment of their garden to the summer months only but spending time in the garden can be a year-round activity. Think about the current state of your garden and how much free time you have; you can set your garden up so that it is geared towards your knowledge level and the time you have to maintain it.