Partner Post: Gardening for Health and Wellness During National Women’s Health Week
National Women’s Health Week runs from May 10-16 2020, and starts appropriately enough on Mother’s Day. This national holiday was created to shine a light on the importance of incorporating simple preventive and positive health behaviors into everyday life. While many women tend put the needs of their families first, this is a wonderful reminder to get moving, eat healthy and feed your family the best and enjoy yourself doing it.
Gardening for Best Health
Gardening shouldn’t be seen as a chore, it’s an investment in your health and well-being with far reaching benefits for yourself and your family. It can replace gym time and boost your immune system. It can also help you feel a connection to nature, something everyone naturally craves.
- Burns Calories
Simple gardening can burn up to 330 calories an hour. The National Institute of Health recommends 35 – 45 minutes of gardening three times a week. A perfect solution for people who’d rather not go to the gym and like saving money.
- Stress Relief
Gardening helps to release endorphins, that make people feel satisfied and relaxed. Contact with soil triggers the release of serotonin in our brains. Serotonin is often referred to as the “Happiness Hormone” and is a natural anti-depressant.
- Improve Immune System
Being outdoors in the sun also helps you absorb vitamin D that can keep your bones strong and boost your immune system. Gardening can also reduce your risk for osteoporosis and stroke.
- Growing Fruits and Vegetables
Including fresh, homegrown food into your diet will help you reach your daily five and give you the satisfaction of knowing you’re feeding your loved ones the very best.
Growing Superfoods is Berry Good for You
Gardening is good for you and growing superfoods doubles the positive impact. Everyone loves berries since they’re packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber. There are even new varieties that can be grown in containers. No matter how big, or small your garden is, Bushel and Berry® have blueberries, raspberries and blackberries that are simple to grow in any sunny spot.
Top Berry Bushes to Plant
Add all three of these berries to your yard or patio for fresh harvests with essential health benefits.
Baby Cakes®, an easy-to-grow blackberry bush that grows to be about 3-4 feet tall. It’s thornless, making it perfect even for households with children. In most regions, Baby Cakes will produce sweet berries twice in one season. Grow in full sun in zones 4-8.
Raspberry Shortcake® is a revolutionary thornless dwarf raspberry that grows just 2-3 feet tall. It produces mid-summer fruit that has a sweet, traditional raspberry flavor. Perfect for children and adults, this raspberry is carefree and nutritious. Grow in full sun in zones 4-9.
Pink Icing® blueberry is a four-season showstopper with ever-changing foliage color. Bushel and Berry offers seven container-sized blueberries, one for every taste. Enjoy these large, sweet berries during mid-summer. Grow in full sun in zones 5-10.