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28 April 2021

5 reasons to get your dose of ‘Vitamin G’ this National Gardening Week

This week is National Gardening Week. and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is encouraging us all to get our daily dose of “Vitamin G”. The G stands for ‘Green’ and research has shown that getting a daily dose improves our sense of personal wellbeing. Here are just 5 reasons why!

1. Gardening can help you get fitter

Gardening is considered moderate-intensity exercise and you can burn around 330 calories doing one hour of light gardening, roughly equivalent to 40 minutes of brisk walking. Who needs an expensive gym membership?

Man pushing wheelbarrow
Older person gardening

2. Gardening is good for your heart

30 days of moderate exercise several times a week can help lower blood pressure, which in turn can lower the risk of heart problems. Digging, planting, and weeding could all contribute and have a positive effect on your health.

3. Gardening can make you happy

Not only has spending time in nature been found to have positive effects on mental health and reduce stress, but research has also suggested that inhaling Mycobacterium vaccae, a healthy bacteria found in soil can increase levels of serotonin and reduce anxiety.

Reduce stress
Getting Vitamin D

4. Going outside to garden helps you get Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for increasing our calcium levels, helping our bones stay strong and also benefitting our immune system. It is especially beneficial to older adults. Our bodies absorb Vitamin D from sunlight so getting outside and gardening is a great way to help give our Vitmanin D levels a boost.

Don’t forget though that an excess of the sun’s UV rays can be harmful to our skin, so always be prepared to cover up when the sun is at its strongest.

5. Grow healthy

What better way to encourage your family to get to their five a day than by growing your own vegetables!

Grow your own

As the UK’s leading provider of grounds maintenance and landscape creation services, it will come as no surprise that we have a lot of gardeners in the idverde team. If you have a passion for horticulture and are interested in joining us, check out our Vacancies page for the latest opportunities to join our team!