Seniors Enjoy Benefits from Gardening

A garden full of beautiful flowers and/or home-grown vegetables is a gratifying pastime for many seniors. Not only does it offer beauty and wholesome, nutritional food for you and those you share your bounty with, but a healthier lifestyle.

Experts say getting outside to work in the garden is a wonderful way to get exercise and enjoy nature as well as to get a dose of vitamin D. They warn to protect your exposed skin with a sunscreen of 30 SPF or higher, wear light, loose clothing, and sunglasses to protect your eyes. Be sure to take frequent breaks, stay hydrated, and avoid working outside during the heat of the day. Gardening is a great way to reduce anxiety and stress and to forget about your problems, at least for a while. Overall, even a few hours a week doing something as enjoyable as gardening can strengthen muscles, improve mobility and increase flexibility.

Growing tomatoes and lettuce or starting an herb garden is a great place for beginners to start and are appropriate plants for container gardening. For flowers, stick to those that thrive in your particular region. Planning your garden and learning how to maintain it is a big part of the fun. Studies show along with the physical aspect of gardening the critical thinking skills used to plan and maintain the garden may lower your risk for Alzheimer's disease.

Another often overlooked benefit of gardening is the social aspect. While working in your garden may be a solitary activity, gardeners enjoy getting together in the forms of clubs, visiting their local farmers market, nursery trips, or joining a community garden project.

MorningStar of Kirkland offers adults 55+ a lifestyle of comfort, wellbeing and security. Our new community will open in late 2021 with a variety of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom floor plans for independent living. Residents will enjoy resort-style amenities and beautiful common areas including an art studio, bistro bar, outdoor dining, swimming pool, sport courts, a Zen Garden and resident garden beds. If you are looking for exceptional senior housing, Kirkland’s new MorningStar community may be for you.

MorningStar of Kirkland offers the very best in independent living with our distinct mission statement of “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve to create an atmosphere that promotes a healthy, engaged lifestyle. Please call for more information about the finest senior housing Kirkland, WA has to offer.

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