Gardening is healthy for your heart due to more than one reason! Not only does gardening allow you to grow fruits and vegetables in your own backyard or in a community garden, but the act of gardening is great source of physical fitness. To help promote the health benefits of gardening, the American Heart Association is now offering a new online Gardening Community for gardening enthusiasts to connect, share information, and learn to live healthier. But if you don’t consider yourself a “gardening enthusiast” don’t turn away… the community welcomes gardeners of all ages and skill levels. It’s meant to be a venue for learning about gardening, sharing about gardening experiences, and promoting gardening ideas.
The goal of the American Heart Association is to teach and encourage Americans to improve their cardiovascular health and reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Part of the American Heart Association’s initiative involves various educational and advocacy programs that help and encourage individuals to adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle – and this can be accomplished, in part, via garden-based nutrition programs and learning the health benefits of gardening as a whole.
According to the American Heart Association’s Gardening Community website, the following are a few of the reasons the gardening community exists:
- Nearly one in three American children are overweight or obese.
- Fewer than one in 10 high school students receive the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables daily.
- French fries are the most common source of vegetables consumed by children and make up one-fourth of their vegetable intake.
The Gardening Community Website is FREE!
Free to use the Gardening Community website is extensive and encourages users to start a garden chat, meet other gardeners, and find gardening resources. Additionally, users have the capability of posting gardening-related questions in order to spark a conversations about a specific topic, and post photos and videos of their gardening efforts.
Topics of discussion on the Gardening Community website include (but are not limited to) various types of gardens, gardening in different types of environments (e.g. urban areas), how to design a garden, which types of fruits and vegetables grow well in particular climates, and optimal methods for growing. Teachers who are participating in the American Heart Association’s Teaching Garden can use the Gardening Community website to discuss lesson plans, share recipes that work well for young students, and provide other tips for getting children excited and involved in gardening.
The American Heart Association’s Gardening Community is just one of the helpful and educational programs sponsored by the American Heart Association. With a goal of fighting cardiovascular disease and stroke, the American Heart Association has more than 22 million volunteers and supporters all dedicated to promoting the cause of the organization.
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