Whether you’re looking for a reason to get outside and be active or if you’re forced to stay at home due to COVID-19 restrictions, gardening can be one of the healthiest outdoor activities for seniors. Tending to a garden can give you a great workout, offer unexpected mental benefits and even improve your overall health. If accessibility to your garden is an issue, then you’re a wheelchair ramp or a platform lift away from making it easier on you. Here are some of the benefits you can expect to receive when managing a garden.
Gardening Provides A Great Workout
If you’re unable to start your garden due to physical limitations, ask a friend, family member or neighbor for help. Unloading bags of soil and other components to start your garden can be heavy, and the last thing you want to do is hurt yourself. Once the foundation of your garden is set, you can get a great cardiovascular workout by using gardening tools to spread soil, plant your crops and maintain them throughout the spring and summer. However, as with any outdoor activities for seniors, prepare yourself and know your limits so you don’t get overheated or too fatigued.
Therapeutic Benefits Of Being Outdoors
Being outdoors in nature is one of the most overlooked therapeutic benefits people experience. Seniors tend to lack vitamin D, but being outdoors is a great way to soak some in. Whether you want to plant a flower garden, an herb garden or fruits and vegetables, watching your hard work flourish is satisfying. Spending time outside reduces cortisol and stress levels and starting a garden is a perfect way to ensure you get enough outside time.
Improve Eating Habits By Planting Fruits And Vegetables
Some seniors don’t have ideal eating habits when they are living independently at home. Planting a garden of fruits and vegetables can change some of those eating habits for the better. Watching the seeds of your labor grow into beautiful plants and then produce a fruit or vegetable is satisfying. Eating food from your garden can give you a certain amount of pride while boosting your overall health as well.
Gardening Tips For Seniors
Gardening is one of the most common outdoor activities for seniors, but it has to be done safely. Stay hydrated while you’re tending to your garden, wear appropriate clothing to avoid sunburn, wear sunscreen and ensure you have the proper equipment to get the job done easily. Make accessibility easier with a wheelchair ramp or platform lift and put in appropriate safety precautions to prevent injury. Gardening is meant to be a fun and enjoyable activity as long as you do it safely.
Next Day Access is here to help make your garden easy to access no matter your physical limitations. Both indoor and outdoor gardening can offer many benefits to seniors, so it’s well worth the effort of getting yours started. Be sure to contact us for a free evaluation and estimate to see how we can make your gardening experience a breeze.
