Page 37 - Healthy Brain Living Book

outdoors and connect with nature in a tranquil environment.

Just taking a walk in a garden can help improve your mood. This

is why gardens are often an integral part of retirement living

communities— so older adults can easily interact with the ever-

evolving landscape as the seasons change.

Gardens can keep you grounded, quite literally by forcing you

to slow down and smell the roses. When you are doing repetitive

garden tasks like weeding, digging, pruning, and pushing

wheelbarrows around, you also benefit from low-impact exercise.

Research has shown that whether you are caring for flower beds

or vegetable gardens, you may be doing more than keeping your

plants healthy and productive. You may be improving your brain

health.

i. A Proven Method

It’s been found that gardening has a positive influence on the

mind. In studying two gardening groups, the first in their 60s,

and the second group in their 70s, it was concluded that both

groups experienced cognitive benefits from gardening. These

studies found that 36 percent of 60-year-olds and 47 percent of

70-year-olds had improved mental benefits compared to those

who didn’t garden.

Gardening has also been shown to improve your mood and

alleviate stress. No matter how big or small your garden may

be, the sights, smells, and sounds of being outside and simply

watching your garden grow can give you needed relief from stress.

ii. Stress-Free Gardening

Stress reduction has been studied in the Netherlands by

comparing reading indoors with 30 minutes of outdoor

gardening. The gardeners reported they felt less stress than the

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