New studies reveal gardening is the better workout for mind and body
Anyone who works regularly in the garden not only burns off calories and improves their resilience, strength and dexterity, but also relieves stress and avoids many lifestyle diseases. New medical studies reveal that gardening makes the perfect full-body workout for the mind and body – yet another reason why 69 percent of Germans responding to the major Einhell Do-It-Yourself Study confirmed “I enjoy spending time gardening.”
“There is increasing evidence that gardening is beneficial to mental and physical health,” says a study by the Royal College of Physicians. Garden work, the British doctors found, combined “physical activity with social interaction and exposure to nature and sunlight.” Sunlight lowered blood pressure as well as increasing vitamin D levels in the summer, and the fruit and vegetables that are produced had a positive impact on the diet, while working in the garden restored dexterity and strength, said the researchers: “The aerobic exercise that is involved can easily use the same number of calories as might be expended in a gym.”
Just a few weeks ago CNN reported on a provider of a fitness app who is increasingly fielding inquiries from customers wanting gardening to be included as a sporting activity in the app. According to a model calculation by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person weighing 77 kilos burns around 330 calories an hour, equivalent to aerobic endurance training in a fitness studio.
Another finding is that gardening remains within the aerobic range, in contrast to a strenuous anaerobic workout which gets an athlete out of breath. That means cortisol levels fall, thereby reducing stress. This in turn is essential if the metabolism is to burn fat rather than glucose in the first place.
But it is not only the body that benefits – so, too, does the mind. Even just two hours of gardening a week can lift the mood and delay the symptoms of dementia and other aging diseases, say the doctors. According to the Einhell Do-it-Yourself Study, Germans are model citizens in this regard, with 43 percent of those surveyed indicating that they work in the garden several times a week, while another 10 percent get out there every day. The front runners here, the Einhell Do-it-Yourself Study reveals, are women: 73 percent, i.e. almost three in four women, say that they enjoy spending time gardening.
Even looking at the garden has positive effects and helps lower stress, anxiety, anger and sadness. That also explains why all major hospitals have for centuries had adjacent therapy gardens where patients can find inner peace.
CEO Kroiss: “Study confirms our strategy of cordless freedom”
“The results of our Do-It-Yourself Study confirm the high importance of gardening, and we are delighted that this is also rated so positively internationally. That’s why we will continue to ensure that cordless freedom helps our customers enjoy working on their projects with our battery tools,” says Andreas Kroiss, CEO of Einhell Germany AG.
About Einhell Germany AG
Einhell is a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art tools and equipment for the house and garden. From its headquarters in Landau/Isar (Bavaria), the internationally successful company has continuously expanded its innovative rechargeable battery platform Power X-Change and is now the market leader in the area of cordless tools and garden equipment. For many years Einhell has set new standards in terms of endurance, performance, and safety. Einhell customers appreciate the freedom of cordless operation for all their DIY projects, as well as the excellent value for money that Einhell products represent and the first-class customer service offered by the company.