Garden your way to a healthier heart

When it comes to finding ways to relax in the summer, cardiologist Denice Hodgson-Zingman, MD, turns to her garden.

Benefits of gardening

“Gardening has many heart-healthy benefits: in addition to producing fresh fruits and vegetables for meals, it is relaxing, stress-reducing and gets you outdoors and exercising,” she says. “Physical activity doesn’t need to be intense to provide heart healthy benefits and gardening is a physically and financially accessible activity for many people to keep active at your own pace.”

No room to plant? That's okay!

She encourages gardening even for those who don’t have a spacious area for planting.

“Even if you don’t have space to garden at home, or if you live amongst garden-devouring deer as I do, community gardens are a great resource. They provide additional benefits including socializing with fellow gardeners, plentiful space to walk and enjoy the work and creativity of others, and the opportunity to trade your excess vegetables to increase your variety of fresh produce,” she says.