June 2, 2021
Spending time out in the garden is one of life’s simplest pleasures. Whether you are tending plants and flowers or admiring nature going about its daily business, it is a great place to spend a relaxing time. Gardening is one of the leading hobbies in the USA, so it should come as no surprise that there is a week-long celebration in its honor. This year National Gardening Week takes place on June 6-12.
Here at Terryberry, we have a budding group of gardeners that enjoy spending time tending to plants and flowers. We have a bee-friendly garden on our property, which a group of our employees looks after throughout the year. The harvest is shared with our employees, and pre-covid, we even used the vegetables for an all-company luncheon.
In this post, we will take a closer look at some of the health benefits associated with spending time out in your garden.
Gardening Helps Boost Your Mood
Spending time outside focused on the task at hand is a great way to reduce stress and boost your mood. Tending and watering plants or working the soil helps you be mindful of the moment and forget about all the day’s stresses. And, at the end of a session, you can sit back and admire your handy work – a surefire way to put a smile on your face.
Family Time
In our busy lives, it is easy for one week to bleed into another. When we are snowed under at work, we can often neglect our personal lives and hobbies. The good news is that gardening is the perfect opportunity to practice a hobby while also spending some quality time with the family. Teaching the kids about growing vegetables can be a lot of fun and also teach them about responsibility. You can also work together as a family to complete a project in the garden, which will be a lot of fun.
Health Benefits
Gardening is an excellent way to get in some exercise. The different actions will help strengthen muscles in your whole body while also getting you lots of fresh air. The combination of direct sunlight and the soil helps release serotonin and vitamin D in the body, making you feel good and full of energy. The increase in Vitamin D in the body helps to fight off a variety of diseases, so you get a full-body workout and enhance your overall health.
Improved Employee Productivity
As mentioned above, we introduced a garden at our HQ, and it became very popular with the team. It is a great way to promote healthy living and encourage ownership amongst the team. The garden forms part of our overall company wellness program that helps employees take charge of their own health and wellness through tailored challenges and education. Our program also includes a wide range of wellness rewards and incentives that motivate our employees to stick to their goals. Happy and healthy employees lead to higher levels of productivity, reduced sick days and staff turnover, and a much nicer environment for everyone to work in.
Need help creating a wellness program for your company? Contact one of our friendly team today to see how we can support you and your employees.
