Gardening can be an excellent way for seniors to enjoy the outdoors and stay active. It’s also a great way to get the benefits of fresh air, exercise, social interaction, and making use of the senior living amenities. If you are planning a garden in your 55 and over community, there are many benefits you may not be aware of below.
Gardening Can Help You Stay Fit
Gardening is a great way to stay fit, especially if you’re in an age group where it’s hard to get around. Gardening can be done indoors or outdoors, with the fresh air, and it’s a great way to move around and get your heart rate up.
Gardening is also an excellent way to build muscle strength because of the repetitive motions involved in planting plants, weeding and watering them, and lifting heavy gardening tools. This type of exercise is ideal for folks who want to improve their health and fitness by working their legs and core muscles while building them up!
Gardening Can Help You Maintain Healthy Levels of Vitamin D
Most of your body’s vitamin D is made in response to sunlight. However, some foods also contain nutrients. The elderly are at a greater risk for low vitamin D levels because they often have reduced mobility and spend more time indoors. As mentioned earlier, gardening can help you get vitamin D from sun exposure and food sources such as seafood, eggs, fortified cereal, or orange juice.
Gardening is an excellent way to boost your health by getting enough Vitamin D and other nutrients, such as magnesium, that helps keep bones strong. If you already take supplements for bone health, gardening may be even better because it provides additional nutrients that may enhance bone strength!
Gardening is Good for Your Mental Health
Gardening can have a positive effect on your mental health. Gardening helps you relax because it’s an activity that is quickly done at your own pace and doesn’t require much concentration or thought. It also requires physical exertion that may help you sleep better at night.
In addition, the repetitive task of gardening can be soothing and reduce stress levels. You might even find yourself falling asleep while working in an herb garden! Finally, this hobby can improve cognitive function by requiring us to focus on what we’re doing instead of worrying about things outside our control (e.g., bills).
Gardening Helps Seniors Socialize
Gardening is also a great way to connect with other guests, especially those you don’t see in passing or at the mailbox. It’s an opportunity to have meaningful conversations and make friends in your community.
In addition, gardening can be an excellent activity for older generations who want to spend time in nature with their children or grandchildren. Many seniors have grandchildren who live far away and don’t visit as often as they would like, so gardening together gives these grandparents an excuse to get back into the garden while spending quality time with their grandkids!
Start Gardening Today
Gardening for seniors is a great way to get outside and get some much-needed exercise and an excellent way to keep your mind active. There are many ways to garden, depending on how much time you have, how much space you have, and what kind of garden you want. For more information on 55 and over communities, contact us today.
