Get tools out the garden shed and improve your health

Gardening is full of health benefits so getting those tools out the garden shed could help people defeat stress and depression while keeping them fit.

Dragging the lawnmower out of the garden shed and mowing the grass is good for cardiovascular exercise, according to the Daily Express, while clipping a hedge can tone muscles in arms and shoulders.

As little as two and a half hours a week spent gardening can improve an adult's fitness level as it gives an all-over body workout.

Paula Coates, a chartered physiotherapist and author of several books about exercise combating health problems, told the newspaper: "Mowing the lawn can keep your heart muscle working properly. This keeps blood pressure down and is also good for burning fat."

As part of the war against obesity, children are being encouraged to get their gardening tools from the shed, with some charities running special schemes to get overweight children gardening.

Mental health charity MIND believes gardening is also good for mental health issues such as depression based on a survey. Gardening stimulates the production of endorphins in the brain that can improve mood and self-esteem.

Being surrounded by plants and flowers can reduce stress-hormones from being released into the body while gardening helps concentration. Gardening has become popular because of the recession.