Page 38 - Healthy Brain Living Book
P. 38
people who took time out to read during the same time frame.
The sensory experience of gardening can also help improve a
negative outlook.
Keep in mind that gardening for pleasure is good for
downgrading stress, but only if you’re not too invested in the
outcome. Gardening is only as stress-free as you make it. If you’re
constantly worrying about whether your new plants will be the
best-looking flowers or produce in the neighborhood, you won’t
gain health benefits that many people experience when they
“play outdoors.”
If you plant a garden, you’ll also likely gain nutritional benefits
from the fresh food you’ll glean from your endeavors. Even if
your garden plot is focused on flowers instead of veggies, it’s been
shown that people who garden tend to eat healthier.
In many areas of the country, outdoor gardening isn’t a year-
round option. Even when you can garden every month of the
year, you may not be optimizing the benefits of gardening for
better brain health.
Staying in mental shape requires real effort and certainly, some
tasks are more enjoyable than others. Here we’ve covered the
benefits of laughing, dancing and gardening. What’s not to like
about working on your brain?!
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