When the weather is nice, it draws us outside, not just to the beer garden, but to beautiful gardens. There are plenty of opportunities to escape into nature: green parks, forests, and recreational areas. If you have a garden, you do yourself a favor by gardening a little every day.
Gardening for Body and Mind
In psychology, horticultural therapy has long been established. This "green treatment" uses nature to improve psychological and physical well-being. Whether weeding, raking leaves, or mowing the lawn: every activity in your own garden offers a varied strength workout that promotes circulation and minimizes the risk of arteriosclerosis. Anyone who is a gardening enthusiast knows about the positive effect of garden work on body and mind. In the garden, we are in contact with the natural elements of water, earth, and air. Here we ground ourselves, find relaxation, can relieve stress, and recharge our energy. And when the sun is also shining, we produce vitamin D in our skin, which is important for our joints, bone metabolism, and the immune system. On our own green space, we can decide for ourselves what we sow and which plants, flowers, fruit, and vegetable patches we choose.
Many people also enjoy using their own garden as a kitchen garden. Recent food scandals have encouraged this trend. What a beautiful and good feeling it is when lettuce, berries, tomatoes, and herbs from your own harvest go into your stomach. At the same time, we support a healthy diet. The garden is not just a place where we do physical work. To a certain extent, it gives us self-determination in garden design and decoration, and a sense of achievement when harvest time comes.
Masanobu Fukuoka: Being with oneself – being in nature
Being with oneself is a real challenge in today's nature-estranged, performance- and consumer-driven society full of distractions and constant accessibility. Masanobu Fukuoka, a Japanese microbiologist, farmer, and philosopher, said: "As much as people detach themselves from nature, they move further and further away from their own center. Therefore, nature, happiness, and human beings are a good triad that should be nurtured. So what are you waiting for: off to the garden and into nature.
• Do you want to know how you can support your physical activity in the garden? You will find what you are looking for here.
