Just in case you needed another excuse to add to your overflowing (and hopefully thriving) indoor plant collection, here it is: Gardening is as good for you as going to the gym.
Yes, that's right, it's science-backed and everything! According to a new long-term study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, leisure activities, like gardening, have shown to have the same benefits as getting your sweat on in the gym.
Now, we're not saying you should ditch your weekly HIIT sesh in favour of some quality time with your favourite pot plant, but the research from the 11-year study revealed that as little as one hour a week of "leisure time physical activity" can be as healthy for you as a workout.
Other activities that fall into that category along with gardening include dancing and walking (or why not combine all three?).
The research collected from the National Health Interview Survey, completed yearly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in North America, noted that participating in just 10 to 59 minutes of these activities a week could lower your risk of cardiovascular dease and cancer by 18%, contrasted with a sedentary lifestyle.
And in this case, more really is more, with 150 to 299 minutes of fun hobby-based weekly physical activity leading to a 31% reduction in "all-cause mortality".
Unsurprisingly, this isn't the only time gardening has been linked with better health. A meta-analysis from Preventative Medicine Reports found gardening reduced rates of anxiety and depression while improving life quality across the board.
Although one might argue that indoor plants don't quite equate to pottering about in the dirt, the benefits still stand, with several studies indicating that indoor plants improve air quality, reduce stress and even induce positive changes in the brain's electrical activity, heart activity and muscle tension.
So, there you have it. Go forth and enjoy your plants knowing they have your back—and so does science.