Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/474241
Nature has long been known for its relaxing qualities, as a place for humans to find tranquility and healing. Gardening in particular is associated with mental clarity and feelings of reward, and it has many physical benefits as well. Food gardening can particularly be gratifying and an excellent source of fresh produce. From soil preparation to the joy of harvesting, there is always a task, big or small, during the growing season! If you have ever spent a summer gardening, you know that these tasks can serve as great exercise. • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), moderate-intensity level activity for 2.5 hours each week can reduce the risk for obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, depression, colon cancer and premature death. The CDC considers gardening a moderate-intensity level activity, and can help you to achieve that 2.5 hour goal each week. Additionally, those that choose gardening as their moderate-intensity exercise are more likely to exercise 40-50 minutes longer on average than those that choose activities like walking or biking. By venturing outdoors to various community garden spaces around Michigan, you not only assist in keeping their community vibrant, but become healthier in the process. For example: "A ten percent increase in nearby green space was found to decrease a person's health complaints in an amount equivalent to a five year reduction in that person's age" according to the Gardening Matters nonprofit of Minneapolis' page, "Multiple Benefits of Community Gardens." • Exercising both the arms and legs is recommended to help prevent illnesses like coronary disease. With most everyday activities only involving the arms, gardening is a great way to incorporate the entire body while exercising. • According to the journal Biological Psychiatry, some experts even say the fresh air can help prevent Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and result in higher test scores among students. Gardening has also emerged in recent years as a scientifically proven stress reliever. Stress can cause irritability, headaches, stomach aches, heart attacks and worsen pre-existing conditions in the body. An experiment published in the Journal of Health Psychology compared gardening to reading as a stress-relieving activity; test subjects that gardened experienced a more significant decrease in stress when compared to the subjects that were assigned to read. If you get a chance, the website/article above "Multiple Benefits of Community Gardens" is a wonderful discussion about community gardens. Clearly that is near and dear to us because of Abby Sayler's recent initiative to donate land and resources for our own community garden in Lutz. She believes strongly about food being our best source of "medicine", from a preventative and treatment perspective. While Abby's Health and Nutrition has one of the largest selections of vitamins, supplements and nutritional products in our area, those are simply to augment what we are not getting from our restaurant, institutional, processed and packaged foods. Additionally, the handling, treatment and travel factors for most of the "fresh" vegetables from grocery stores….. is quite frankly unacceptable, much less the compromise of nutritional values. We are well underway with completing all of the legal, governmental and organizational issues for Abby's Organic Community Farm. The farm house is being renovated for our use, the property has been cleared and prepared, and supplies/products are being researched and purchased. Abby's farm is a non-profit organization that will need individual and corporate support and sponsorship to achieve our objectives……primarily making our farm a "world class" educational venue for learning how to grow your own food (medicine). So, you might say "Is this really a Heart issue"?........ Absolutely! In addition to the physical benefits described above, I have often said there is a spiritual aspect to working with the earth and watching something grow from seed. There is something also very satisfying about doing our part to be good stewards of the land and the valuable resources we have been entrusted. We think it is a great opportunity to educate and demonstrate these values to the next generation. If you are interested in joining our efforts and supporting this important project in your community, please contact me at david@abbyshealthandnutrition.com or 813.393.6039. Abby's Magazine - March/April 2015 | Page 11