園藝對健康的益處
（The Health Benefits of Gardening）
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report.
歡迎收聽美國之音英語學習節目，這裡是健康和生活方式報告。
As spring comes to half the world, many people can enjoy the new growth that comes with warmer weather. This is a great time to get outside and get dirty!
隨著全球多半地區都迎來了春天，許多人可以在春暖花開的季節體驗萬物新生了。春天是很適合進行戶外活動把自己搞得髒兮兮的季節。
Gardening is popular in many parts of the world. This outdoor activity gives us beautiful plants, pleasant smelling flowers and fresh fruits and vegetables.
園藝在世界上許多地區都很流行。這種戶外活動給予我們美麗的植物, 宜人的花香和新鮮的水果和蔬菜。
But it also gives us many health benefits.
而且，對我們健康也有好處。
減少孤獨感
（Reduces loneliness）
Gardening connects people. When you are gardening, you are outdoors. So it is a perfect time to socialize with your neighbors.
園藝促進人與人之間的聯繫。你做園藝時，身處戶外，這為鄰里來往提供了完美的契機。
Most people love to talk about their hobbies, and gardeners are no different. They usually enjoy showing people what they are growing. And most enjoy sharing advice and stories about their gardens almost as much as sharing herbs, flowers and vegetables from their gardens.
大多人都喜歡談論自己的愛好，園藝愛好者也一樣。他們通常喜歡向別人展示他們的種植的植物。他們除了分享自己種植的香料、蔬菜外，最喜歡分享他們在園藝方面的建議和園藝故事。
Gardening can greatly widen a person's community.
園藝可以大大地拓寬一個人的社交圈子。
Some people may not have the resources to have their own garden. So, many cities and towns have community gardens. You can either volunteer or just visit to learn more.
有些人可能沒有自己的花園。所以，許多城鎮都有社區花園。你可以作為自願者參與，也可以僅僅是上門瞭解。
Check what resources are available to you in your area. If there are no community gardens near you, there may be government money available to help you start one.
你可以核實你所在地區有哪些可用的資源。如果你附近沒有社區花園的話，說不定政府會提供資金幫你建設一個。
有益於兒童的健康的活動
（Healthy activity for children ）
Gardening is a great activity to do with children. It gets families outdoors and off computers, televisions and other electronics.
園藝是一個非常棒的親子活動。它可以讓家庭成員關上電腦、電視和其它電子產品，去戶外活動。
Gardening can be a great teacher.
園藝還是一個好老師。
Children can learn about nature and wildlife. Gardening can teach a child about where food comes from and healthy eating. It can also help them to understand the limits of natural resources and the importance of using them carefully.
孩子們可以學習到更多與大自然和野生動物有關的知識。園藝可以讓孩子知道食物從哪裡來，如何吃得更健康。它還可以幫助孩子們瞭解自然資源得有限性，以及合理利用這些資源得重要性。
促進維生素D的吸收
（Vitamin D）
When you are in your garden, you might feel the sunshine on your skin. This means you are getting Vitamin D.
當你在花園活動時，你可能會感受到陽光照射在皮膚上。這意味著你補充了維生素D。
Vitamin D helps our bodies use calcium. That is necessary to keep bones strong. Vitamin D also helps us fight diseases.
維生素D幫助我們的身體吸收鈣質。保持骨骼強壯離不開鈣。維他命D還可以幫助我們戰勝疾病。
運動
（Exercise）
Also, when you garden you must move around. All the different movements needed for gardening -- bending, twisting, stretching and lifting -- work small muscles in the body.
同樣的，當你在做園藝時，你必須得四處走動。園藝會涉及到比如彎腰、轉身、拉伸和舉重等活動，這些活動會鍛鍊到小肌肉群。
And you can easily get a good work out when you are digging holes or pulling weeds.
當你在挖洞或除草時，你輕鬆的便進行了鍛鍊。
釋放壓力
（Stress）
Gardening may also help you to feel calm and happy.
園藝可以讓人感到平靜和愉悅。
A study by researchers in the Netherlands found that gardening may reduce the stress hormone cortisol in the brain.
荷蘭的研究人員發現，園藝可以減少大腦中的激素皮質醇（壓力荷爾蒙）。
Scientists say that high levels of cortisol in the body interfere with learning and memory. It can also increase a person's weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Chronic, high levels of cortisol increase the risk for depression, mental illness and lower life expectancy.
科學家稱，體內高水平的皮質醇會干擾人的學習和記憶。皮質醇還可以增加一個人的體重、血壓和膽固醇水平。長期高水平的皮質醇增加了患抑鬱症、精神疾病和壽命更短的風險。
In the study, the researchers gave 30 gardeners a difficult, stressful task. After completing the task, researchers measured their cortisol levels. The gardeners self-reported on their mood, or how they felt emotionally.
在這項研究中，研究人員給了30位園丁一個比較困難且有壓力的任務。完成這項任務後，研究人員測量了他們的的皮質醇水平。園丁們也自己彙報他們的心情如何或情緒感受。
Then the gardeners were asked to recover by either gardening outdoors or reading indoors for 30 minutes.
然後，園丁們被要求通過到室外做園藝或者在室內看書進行30分鐘的恢復。
Both activities led to lower cortisol levels. However, the decreases were stronger in the gardening group. Also, those who gardened reported that their good moods returned fully. The readers found that their bad moods only got worse.
這兩項活動都導致了皮質醇水平降低，但是園藝組降低更多一些。同樣的，那些通過園藝進行恢復的人報告稱自己的心情完全恢復了。而通過讀書進行恢復的人稱，心情變得更糟了。
預防痴呆症和保持大腦健康
（Dementia and brain health）
Gardening may help your brain stay young.
園藝或可以幫助你的大腦保持年輕。
In another study in 2006, researchers looked at more than 2,800 people over the age of 60. They studied their lifestyle habits, activities and health over a 16-year period. They found that gardening could lower risk of future dementia by 36 percent.
在2006年的另一項研究中, 研究人員調查了2800多位60歲以上的人。他們對這些人的生活習慣、活動和健康狀況進行了為期16年的研究。他們發現園藝對未來患痴呆的風險可以降低36%。
Activities such as gardening uses many repeated actions, such as weeding or dead-heading (removing dying flowers from a plant). These actions have a calming effect on the brain. The brain is still active but not in the same way that it is, say, when we use computers.
諸如園藝之類的活動會有許多重複動作，比如除草或移枯。這些動作對大腦有鎮靜作用。大腦仍然活躍，但與我們使用電腦時的那種活躍不同。
In our technology-filled lives, gardening offers a chance to unplug. You cannot hold a phone or other electronic devices when your hands are filled with dirt.
電子產品充斥著我們的生活，而園藝為我們提供了一個不插電的機會。因為當你的手髒兮兮的時候，你一定不會拿電話或其它電子設備的。
Gardening can also give you the feeling that you have done something good.
園藝也可能給你一種自己正在做善事的感覺。
A flower and herb garden can help feed bees and butterflies. Growing herbs and flowers, even in a of couple of pots at your city home, connects you to nature and pleases all of your senses.
（因為）花和香草可以餵養蜜蜂和蝴蝶。即使在你城裡的家中用幾個花盆種植香草和花，也能讓你感受到大自然，愉悅你的所有感官。
What you grow in a garden usually looks, smells, feels and tastes really good.
你在花園裡種的東西通常都會滿足你的視覺、嗅覺、觸覺和味覺體驗。
And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
這是健康和生活方式的報告。我是安娜·馬特奧。
作為一個十分喜歡養綠植的綠植殺手，小編已經哭昏倒在電腦前。
最容易養活的植物TOP 10，根本就沒有這種存在。無力吐槽的..........
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