As a mum, you have probably given up on the idea of free time during the week. With the kids running about and your other responsibilities, you practically jump for joy whenever the kids go to bed, and you can finally relax. Try not to feel guilty about it; everyone has those same thoughts.
What about your weekends? They can’t be as hectic as your weekdays. You probably use that free time to catch up on that telenovela you’ve been watching or to sit down and devour a good book. This weekend, maybe you should miss Santiago’s proposal to Isabella and get your hands dirty in the yard. You could try gardening instead.
Before you start pelting us with tomatoes, here’s why you should pick up gardening during the weekends:
- Gardening increases Vitamin D production.
Vitamin D is a nutrient that your body creates in the presence of sunlight. It turns out humans also photosynthesize some things like plants do. Weird, huh?
Vitamin D is essential in producing healthy bones and teeth. It also plays a part in the immune system.
Standing in the sun while gardening for those few hours a day can significantly increase Vitamin D production. Overexposure to the sun’s rays can cause sunburn, so you should be careful how much time you spend in the sun.
- Gardening helps with a healthy weight.
While gardening, you would have to do some light work. You know, rake up some leaves, pull out some weeds—that sort of thing.
Those activities count as light exercise. The more you work, the more calories you burn.
So, yes. If you have a fitness goal or you want to lose weight, you should start gardening. Then, you’d hit two birds with one stone.
The work also strengthens your heart. Seriously, what are you waiting for?
- Gardening relieves stress.
Stress is an ever-present part of being a mum. Mums deserve an award.
With the tons of work you do, the number of sacrifices you make, stress would constantly knock at your door.
But there’s a way to keep it at bay. You guessed it; gardening.
The very act of gardening reduces the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. And that’s not all.
According to some scientists, inhaling M. vaccae, a harmless bacterium that lives in the soil increases serotonin levels. You can do that simply by digging in your garden.
Have you decided to put on your gardening gloves yet?
- Gardening can help you bond with your family.
Your backyard garden shouldn’t just be your backyard garden. Let the kids come and help out.
Sure, they might stomp around and cause more harm than good at first, but they’d get the hang of it. Sooner or later, you’ll all have gardening as that activity that helps you find peace and bond as a family.
It’ll also help after those huge arguments with your teenage kids.
When it’s all over, and you are rooting around in the dirt, sniffing up your daily dose of good old M. vaccae, examining the situation, and making decisions would be easier.
Think about it for a second. Gardening may be the thing you need in your home.
- Gardening can help you eat healthier.
We’ve all heard this saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
The truth is it has us eating healthier foods and veggies. But a trip to the grocery store for all that might be a bit of a hassle.
Imagine if you had an apple tree in your backyard. An entire stash of the doctor-repellent fruit just waiting for you to pluck it up and eat it. You’d probably repel every doctor in a half-mile radius.
It is easier to eat healthy with the vegetables in your backyard. Also, you can be sure that your produce hasn’t been treated with pesticides.
Conclusion.
The weekends remain the only time mums can be free to pursue some leisure activities of their own. Gardening is an all-around activity that builds you up physically, mentally and still has a good impact on the well-being of your family. If you want to relieve your stress, starting up that garden in your backyard is something you should go for. You can do it.
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