Wasatch Community Gardens is a non-profit organization located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The gardens provide a network of urban gardens, as well as classes, programs and events focused on gardening, eating well and community development.
The organization recently participated in a study conducted by the University of Utah, which uncovered that community gardening is not only a great source of social and nutritional benefits but an amazing way to stay healthy and fit too.
The study published by the American Journal of Public Health, compared the overall health of 200 community gardeners living in the Salt Lake City area. Researchers observed that the men and women who spent more time in the garden, moving around, bending over, pulling weeds (and burning calories) had a lower weight-to-height ratio than their non-gardening counterparts. In fact, they were 46-65% less likely to be overweight or obese.
Although the results of the study are based on participants from a single community gardening organization, there’s no question that what we eat and how much we move has a positive impact on our health. This study demonstrates that gardening is a great and fun way to control both.
