The joy of gardening
I am always encouraging my patients and my customers to get out in the fresh air and connect with nature. It is good for the body and the mind. One great way to stay active and enjoy the outdoors is gardening.
There are many reasons gardening is good for you:
- Enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of digging in the dirt (thanks to soil microbes). Regularly enjoying yourself in a natural setting also reduces stress and boosts immunity, creativity and energy.
- Support our local biodiversity with a mix of flowers and plants. You’ll help pollinators and attract birds, bats, insects, snakes, frogs and other beneficial wildlife.
- You can eat your home-grown produce; great for your health and the climate. Did you know “greenhouse gas emissions can be cut by 2 kilograms for every kilo of homegrown vegetable when compared to the store-bought counterpart?” says the David Suzuki Foundation.
You can start small with kitchen herbs, lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries; these can be grown in planters on balconies or decks. Or you can build bigger borders and diversify your produce more.
- Reduce your waste, use less packaging and save money: A small urban lot with less than 0.06 acres in production might enjoy yields worth $3,500 to $6,000 per year!
- You can sit and enjoy the beauty of your garden with a glass of something refreshing and feel an enormous sense of satisfaction and peace.
However, gardening can be extremely taxing on the body. Squatting to access borders, heavy lifting of bags filled with compost and mulch, pulling up weeds and unwanted plants, carrying cans of water and fertilizer and many hours spent on knees or bending over. This can take a toll on the body, particularly as we get older and conditions like arthritis start to occur in our hips and knees; lessening the enjoyment of our favourite pastime.
As always, I recommend preventive care with exercises designed to target those areas used most in gardening. Have a look at the video below and try to follow this exercise routine 3 to 4 times a week before you go into the garden.
Apply P3 cream before you head into your yard. Its anti-inflammatory pain relief will ease the joints and muscles before you begin and then you can re-apply as necessary whilst you are hard at work. It is also perfect for the post gardening muscle ache and can be applied again after your refreshing shower or bath. We’ve also had some anecdotal evidence from customers that our P3 Calm, with its added lavender oil, is great at repelling bugs and mosquitos so there is a little added bonus if your garden is prone to those pesky flying critters!
Try some products that will provide your knees with extra cushioning and protection when you are about to spend a few hours weeding or planting.
Products such as Aimerla Heavy Duty, Foldable Garden Kneeler Seat with pockets for all your tools and an upgraded, widened thick kneeling pad. Or perhaps some gel knee pads such as these ones by NoCry. There are many models out there so shop around and see which get the best reviews.
The Arthritis Foundation also has an article with some great recommendations for gardening tools that can help make gardening easier. Click here for more information.
Gardening is also a great activity to share with the family and there is nothing better than gardening alongside a child to really enjoy their perspective on nature. Earth Easy has a great list of easy to grow seeds for your child to really see the wonders of growing your own.
Most of all, I want to encourage you all to get outside and enjoy your space, no matter the size. Get active, get dirty, eat well, feel relaxed and boost your mood. I look forward to seeing pictures of your yards and what you create.
Best wishes
