Garden! It's good for your health

Posted By: Ashley

I’m so excited! It’s National Garden Month, the weather is staying consistently warm and I have started my vegetable garden! A few years ago I took a class at a Christian woman’s conference about healthy eating and understanding the food you put into your body. One saying that has stuck with me over the years is “play in the dirt and eat from the earth.” Planting a garden not only helps you eat healthier because you’re eating raw and organic fruits and vegetables but it also helps with your overall wellness.

In my research on gardening (cuz u know I research everything) I came across an article by health and wellness coach, Ashley McIntosh who gave 5 benefits of gardening.

1. Exercise. Gardening uses all the major muscle groups AND it has been shown to burn as many calories as the average aerobic workout!
2. Improve your diet. Eating more fruit and veggies is obviously a big bonus.
3. Grow your creative edge. It takes some creativity to plan which seeds to use, where your garden will be, what it will look like, when to start planting, etc. This new way of creative thinking will crossover into other aspects of your life. Personally, I’ve been daydreaming about my garden for months.
4. Calm your mind. Gardening gets you away from your usual daily craziness.
5. Connect with the earth. She writes, “Gardening can help you rekindle true appreciation for our earth and give you more leverage to take action to help it. A healthier earth means a healthier you.”

I would even throw in a 6^th point…Save money. Fresh fruit and vegetables can be so expensive these days. My family decided to grow things that we regularly find ourselves going to the grocery store for…onions, okra, tomatoes, hot peppers and bell peppers (hm sounds like gumbo in the making). I started the tomatoes and hot peppers indoors and will transplant them outside.

Another cool benefit of gardening is that it can be a family affair. My partner and I are communicating more and working together on this project. My little guy and I have had fun playing in the dirt, clearing rocks and watching ladybugs and grasshoppers.

I’m going to start writing posts about my garden every other Thursday so you can see what progress I’m making. I’ve been having so much fun picking out seeds and preparing the ground (we decided to plant right into the earth, instead of having a raised bed). I can’t wait until my little babies start to grow and produce yummy food for our table (mama will be so proud).

Here's another adorable video of Elonzo. Love this guy.

And here’s Ashley McIntosh’s website. She’s my new favorite. http://www.getliving.ca

What are you growing in your garden this year?