The Grass is Greener When You Take Care of It and Yourself

A few weeks ago the OPEI organization put out this great infographic (it's actually older data, but the premise and conclusion is still highly relevant... maybe even more in 2020.) It speaks to how your yard can contribute to your health and well being.

Taking care of your lawn is about a lot more than curb appeal and the resale value of your home. It helps with that too, but it also connects to your health and well-being for a number of reasons. Howard Brothers doesn’t just sell the best in lawn equipment; we care about our customers, our community, and your health and wellness. We want you to be around a long time to enjoy everything you have built for yourself and those you love.

Yards Provide a Safe Place

A lawn for the family to gather and for kids to play in has been a part of the American Dream for a long time. It connects to something deep within us that fulfills something important in our spirits. There is something right about it. Our children are free to play in a space that we can keep safe and vital. The family meets and creates memories anchored to a place that has meaning to us because we are all there together.

Reduced Stress in Greener Spaces

Children’s stress levels drop within minutes of seeing green spaces. People moving to greener areas experience improved mental health that lasts for years. Spending time in gardens improves memory and attention. Working with green spaces for years, Howard Brothers staff knows how good these areas make us feel and we see the change in people we have helped get the best out of their lawns.

Green Spaces Encourage Exercise

People exercise more when there is lively green space for them to move in and around. This is true for children and adults. We are drawn outside to explore and be a part of it. Walking or running in these environments lowers anger, fatigue, and feelings of depression while boosting attention, creativity, and inspiration. You want to go out more and you benefit more from doing it.

Living Landscapes Can Make You and Your Children Smarter

It’s not magic, but it is unlocking the potential that otherwise might be missed. Children with exposure to the outdoors consistently score higher on cognitive testing. Attention and working memory is greatly benefited in children with exposure to the outdoors. We want to give them every advantage they can get.

Nature Makes You A Better Worker

Workers with connections to, views of, and experiences with nature are more productive and accurate. Avoiding mistakes from a distracted or fatigued mind will save you time, money, and headaches. A better work experience will contribute to a better personal life and even more time to recharge in the spaces you create for yourself.

Get Out of the Hospital Faster

This seems like an odd claim, but the research seems to show that it’s true. Hospital patients with a window view of nature heal an average of one day faster. Our attitudes and outlooks have great power to influence our health, our healing, and our longevity. We work hard to enjoy life and we should be around and at our best for a long time so we can fully appreciate the lives we build for ourselves and the ones we love.

Pulling Weeds and Planting Something Better Gives a Lot of Health for a Little Time

Pulling weeds and trimming shrubs give you a workout that impacts muscles in ways that other exercise does not. That may not be our favorite part of maintain our lawns, but we benefit from it anyway. People who garden just 30 minutes a week have lower body mass indexes, higher self-esteem, better moods, and lower tension and stress. There is even evidence that the soil itself may contain microbes that impact our minds with similar mood enhancing benefits as drugs like Provac. Imagine getting all that and a beautiful lawn, too.

Nature Makes You Nicer

With the improvement in your moo and the opportunity to interact with others in that space, social interactions will be more positive and uplifting for you and those around you. More positive interactions will create a pattern that will continue in those moments you have to be inside.

Ownership Over Your Own Happiness

There is so much in our lives that can feel out of control. Working on making your lawn the best it can be may seem like one more thing to do in a life that is already too busy. The weight of evidence says that access to green spaces you enjoy makes us healthier and happier people. Your life will be better and longer.

Getting Started

Howard Brothers will be happy to help you gain all these benefits and more from your lawn. Contact us and we’ll help put together a plan that works for you and your green spaces starting right now.

You can also visit opei.org/stewardship/ for more tips and facts about maintaining your landscape and yourself.