The very latest research shows that by spending time outside in your garden, you will benefit from certain wellbeing and health benefits.
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This comes out of the University of Exeter and saw as many as 8,000 separate individuals examined. The preliminary findings were that by spending just a little amount of time in your garden on a daily basis will see you having an improved level of overall health, as well as increased levels of physical activity and better psychological well being.
The Study
Although the study followed people doing all sorts of different activities in their garden, from mowing the lawn and planting flowers to doing exercise and relaxing, it found that the benefits that being outdoors brings is not impacted upon by what you are actually doing in the garden. The study also found that those people who spend more time in their garden, are also more likely to go out and spend time in nature, which also comes with many health and wellbeing benefits. Those people who either did not have a garden space or do not go outside and use it, had much lower levels of good health and well being compared to those people who did spend time in their garden.
This goes to show that spending time outdoors is really good for you. The study is one of the very largest ones of its kind that has ever been carried out and will be used as the basis for recommendations made by both scientists and health practitioners the world over.
Living Amongst Green Spaces
It is not just spending time in your own private garden that can boost your health. Wider studies have shown that by simply living on an estate or within a neighbourhood that is particularly green, is also good for your overall health and well being. The biggest of these was conducted by Natural England, which looked at how people connected with nature throughout the week. It found that those who had a greater level of contact, were generally in better shape – both mentally and physically.
Again, this goes to show just how important a little bit of time in nature or a green space each week can be of benefit.
Working Together
As a result of the findings of the study, the team responsible for it at the University of Exeter has teamed up with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in order to further investigate how spending time in a garden and actively participating in gardening activities can boost your health. It is clear from the recent Covid 19 pandemic that the health of the nation is not as robust as was once believed and so it is important that the provision of gardens and green space is something that is better supported right throughout the country.
If the findings from this study have inspired you to go outdoors and spend more time in their garden, then you might want to find some comfortable seating and other garden furniture to use whilst in the space. You can check garden outdoor furniture on the link.