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For many people, the typical day consists of getting up, rushing through an inadequate breakfast, hurrying to work, spending the day in the stress filled environment of working, hurrying back home, eating a quick meal, watching a little television, then going to bed in order to get ready to do it all over again. The stress never has the chance to go away or lessen, and you are left feeling exhausted and frustrated.

Vacations are great, but they are also fairly rare and expensive (usually). Yet weekends don't really allow most people to do more than catch up with everything they didn't have time to do in the week, or the things they just didn't feel like doing at the time.

There is a reason, though, that the gardener tends to be less stressed than their non-gardening neighbors. The garden allows you to get outside, get a little exercise of the sort that allows you to see an actual result, and because of the nature of gardening, it almost forces you to slow down from the regular hectic pace.

Putting in some time in the garden for even a half hour after work allows you to relax a lot more than you normally would, so your stress level drops. The change is so palpable that you can actually feel the stress draining away.

This is a very important health benefit of gardening, but it isn't the only one. Consider the vegetables that you are growing. Since you are in control of the garden and what goes into it, you are able to grow plants without the use of toxic pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides. This means that not only do the vegetables taste better; they are also a lot healthier than the ones that are grown commercially and sold in the store.

Further, gardening also allows you to breath fresher air than the usually stale air inside the house or at the office. Even in places not well known for the cleanliness of the air, the air outside is still better for you than the air inside.

Gardening has aspects that are healthy for your mind, as well as for your body. The benefits when taken together mean that you are able to lead a healthier and happier life, without the constant constraints on everything you do in a more hectic lifestyle. You may not be able to control your work environment, after all, but your garden is yours. Doesn't it feel good to have at least a little control?

Learn more about this author, Rex Trulove.
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