The surprising outdoor activity that is key to keeping your mind sharp… and it doesn’t involve exercise

Some people may play crossword puzzles or learn new languages ​​to keep their brains sharp.

However, this outdoor activity turns out to be useful for doing the exact same thing. No, no exercise is required.

a Research conducted by the University of Edinburgh Of the hundreds of elderly people, those who planted their gardens proved to have better cognitive functions later in life.

This was determined by a longitudinal study that followed the results of intelligence tests given to residents of Edinburgh again at age 11 and 79.

According to press release Following this study, questions required “oral reasoning, spatial ability, and numerical analysis.”

Adults who listed gardening as a hobby showed much better cognitive retention than those who had not planted their gardens in the garden.

Although this does not prove a direct correlation, this study confirmed that it takes into account the methods scored in relation to each person’s socioeconomic status, education, health, physical activity level, and of course, cognitive abilities as a child.

“Working on gardening projects, learning about plants, and general garden maintenance costs include complex cognitive processes such as memory and executive function,” research author Janie Corley said in a press release.

Consistent with the cognitive framework of “use or lose it” , more involvement in gardening may be directly related to a lower risk of cognitive decline. ”

It makes sense when thinking about the type of people who work in gardening.

Gardening is a stress relief activity for most people who work in it. So it makes sense that consistent activity for decompression helps someone to retain their cognitive skills as they age.

According to Mayo Clinicchronic stress puts you at risk of greater health problems.

Additionally, gardeners may have fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables they incorporate into their diet – who is going to go out and buy too much expensive tomatoes when you can grow them in your own backyard?

And of course, gardening as a hobby may mean that you have enough downtime to learn and do as entertainment – not something that many have.

Finally, another study shows that people in the garden are more likely to get consistent physical activity.

Even if they’re not heading towards the gym, they’re always prone to their garden, perhaps constantly moving around to lift heavy (soil) bags.

Gardening is a great stress relief and stress is known to cause long-term health problems (stock image)

And all of this is looking into whether they are gardening themselves.

For some of these adults, the only option for gardening may be some kind of community-wide gardening club or programming.

This itself has its own unique advantages, such as continuous social dating.

Research shows that social activities help to avoid cognitive decline.

Gardening itself may be a fun entertainment for many people, but the meaning of the lifestyle it comes with is a great way to maintain your brain health, especially as you get older.

So, you may think that your online word games are sharpening your mind, but they may not be doing as much as you think.

And it may be time to put down the phone and pick up fertilizer.