By Corey Doane
Spring has officially sprung and what better way to spend a sunny spring day than in the garden? While we all know that gardening and being outdoors can do wonders for our mental health, did you know it can also help break a hefty sweat? If your yard work is piling up, forget the gym—gardening can be just as effective as lifting weights or taking your favorite aerobic class.
Below we talk about gardening as exercise and how gardening benefits your physical and mental health.
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Is Gardening Considered Exercise?
The answer is yes! Gardening is considered a moderate form of physical activity according to the American Heart Association. In fact, research has found that gardening can burn the same number of calories as you would in the gym. According to the CDC, gardening burns more calories than many other common moderate physical activities—like biking, walking and stretching. Thirty minutes of light gardening and yard work can burn around 165 calories, while one hour in the garden can burn over 330 calories.
Because gardening combines physical activity with exposure to nature and natural sunlight, it’s great for our physical and mental health.
5 Health Benefits of Gardening
From a stronger immune system to improved mental health, here are just a few of the many benefits gardening can sprout.
1. It promotes better brain health.
Our brain health is one of the most critical parts of our overall health as it affects our ability to communicate, make decisions and function in our everyday lives. Studies have shown that gardening helps stimulate the brain and may be associated with lower chances of dementia. One study, in particular, revealed that daily gardening reduced the risk of dementia by 36 percent.
Outdoor workouts like gardening expose us to higher levels of Vitamin D which helps produce and increase levels of serotonin in our brains. Serotonin is also known as the brain’s happy hormone. Aside from improving our mood, serotonin in the brain also helps with memory.
2. It can help improve your diet.
Because you’re able to grow your own produce, gardening can greatly impact the type of food you put into your body. People who grow fruits and vegetables naturally eat more fruits and veggies because they’re easily accessible—and they taste better too! If you’re curious about harvesting produce, start with fruits and vegetables that are fairly easy to grow as a beginner. Carrots, strawberries, lettuce, bell peppers and tomatoes are just some of the easiest produce to grow.
You don’t have to grow your own produce to encourage healthier eating, though. Joining a community garden can help you engage with other gardeners and try out different kinds of produce. Or, head to your local farmers market for local and organic produce that supports your body and your community farmers.
3. It can improve your mental health.
As mentioned, outdoor gardening is a great way to get some much-needed Vitamin D, which is essential for improving our mood. Gardening can and has been used as a form of therapy and has been shown to decrease feelings of depression, stress and anxiety. Simply observing nature and being outdoors greatly benefits our mental health, but when you’re working on a gardening task, it can help alleviate and subside negative thoughts while improving your ability to concentrate.
One study found that 30 minutes of gardening decreased more stress than 30 minutes of reading a book indoors.
4. It can help maintain a healthy weight.
Gardening contributes to maintaining a healthy weight because it encourages healthy eating and helps you break a sweat—a win-win. If you’re looking for ways to make your gardening routine more vigorous, here are a few tips:
- Engage your large muscles like your legs as much as possible so you can burn as many calories as possible.
- Increase your range of motion so you’re able to build your strength and power.
- Complete gardening tasks in reps or sets as you would in the gym.
- Incorporate bodyweight exercises into your gardening routine, like lunging while weeding or doing squats while carrying a bag of soil.
If you know you’ve got a long day of yard work ahead, always make sure to stretch before to avoid any physical injuries.
5. It supports a healthy immune system.
Because our Vitamin D intake is increased during outdoor gardening, it helps support a healthy immune system. In fact, research has found that beneficial bacteria that are present in soil may help strengthen your immune system and reduce inflammation.
If you’re prone to seasonal allergies, make sure to take precautions while gardening by wearing protective workout clothes and gloves, not touching your eyes or face and showering right after you’re finished. This can help reduce allergy symptoms if you’re prone to allergies from pollen or other highly-allergenic plants.
6 Gardening Activities to Keep You Physically Fit
Ready to get your sweat on in the garden but not quite sure where to start? Here are just some of the many gardening activities you can engage in and what muscles they can target:
- Weeding: strengthens your legs, arms and back.
- Digging: strengthens your back, arms, shoulders and core.
- Harvesting: strengthens your quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves and biceps.
- Mowing: strengthens your back, hips, core and shoulders.
- Raking: strengthens your biceps, shoulders and forearms.
- Sweeping: strengthens your arms, hips and legs.
If you’re looking for a way to relax your mind while working up a good sweat, give gardening a try! You don’t have to be a gardening expert to work out your mind and body. For more info on gardening as exercise as well as tips for digging your way to a healthier life, check out the infographic below.
What are your thoughts on Gardening benefits?
Do share your views with us in the comments below.
Corey Doane is a digital content creator who helps Adidas create helpful and compelling stories worth sharing. Her background in digital marketing and creative writing has led her to cover unique topics ranging from business to eco to lifestyle.
That’s a very informative post. I love gardening we have small garden where I have planted plants and I like to take care of them.
I find gardening very therapeutic. I have just brought myself some seeds to plant, so will hopefully be sowing them this weekend.
I don’t garden but we have a backyard that needs to be maintained with usual mowing the lawn, weeding, and clean up. And even though, I am not growing anything, I have to say, the usual backyard activity helps me with stress and I just feel accomplished when the chores have been completed.
My parents suddenly have gotten into this and I am happy for them! Its therapeutic for them. Kind of hard to maintain but at least it got them busy.
I think gardening is very special. My grandfather loves his garden so much he refuses to even think about the move from his home. he also refuses most of the help to keep it (and he’s over 90). I think that is one of the reasons he is relatively healthy, is able to move around relatively a lot despite having issues with joints for over 20 years now, and doesn’t have mental problems
These benefits are all great and beneficial for everyone. I don’t have a garden and I wouldn’t have time to look after it during this phase of my life.
That’s interesting that a study shows gardening can reduce dementia! I know that I always feel better after weeding or deadheading or just admiring my garden!
this is one of my dilemma. I love plants! I love having them around but sad to say I am no green thumb and reading the benefits you listed makes me feel like I badly need to learn how to take care of them even just the basics. I am motivated!
I love gardening, but I had no idea that it had so many health benefits! Thank you for the great tips!
Would totally be into gardening if i had some patience and a green thumb. All plants just seem to die on me. Haha
I used to do a lot of gardening when I was younger. For the last few years, thanks to being in an apartment, I haven’t done any gardening. Finally now I’ve started to grow some microgreens and small house plants. I’m trying to introduce my daughter to gardening, taking her to farms. I agree, gardening is so good for mental health.
Eee we just got to our new home outside of NYC and finally have space for a garden! I had mixed feelings about if I wanted to actually have the maintenance of a garden, but now I feel like I must with these health benefits! Any specific plants you recommend for a newbie? 😉
Gardening is so beneficial. Its instantly cools me down.
Since COVID started, I have taken a new liking to gardening. Honestly, it’s such a great way to de-stress.
I so much agree with them. I witnessed it with Mummy today as she was working on the various plants in the garden and she did a great job on them and left less grumpy and moody.
Gardening does a lot of good for my mental health. It’s also my way of destressing and eating healthier.
great points! I actually love the idea of turning everything you do into a fun fitness activity, I read a book about cleaning at home with a few switches where you can actually substitute some of exercise routine with keeping your home clean
I never thought about it as exercising but I definitely can see it! Yard work is exhausting but so worthwhile.
I agree with all your points! My grandma has always loved gardening and spent so many hours outside making sure her plants thrived. It does so much mentally and boosts your energy being in nature!
I agree very much. Through gardening, I can stretch my muscles and move a lot. And I also get that vitamin D!
Gardening is the “in” in my country. The extended lockdown has made people to think of ways to be productive while at home. While, it helps one to be productive, some also make it a side business – they grow and sell plants online.
I think you are totally right! Gardening can really improve your mental health and I just think about myself how it makes me so relaxed to do it!
Being in contact with nature or working with it can only give great benefits. To those listed by you I can also add other really important spiritual ones. What can I say brings only and exclusively many benefits!
Gardening is good for all of these reasons. The other positive aspect is that it just feels good to eat food you have grown yourself.
OH yes! Gardening is so therapeutic! I love this.
I am such a big fan of gardening. It really can bring you so much peace, and when the flowers bloom and the veggies come in you get such a sense of accomplishment.
I am glad to learn that gardening has such many benefits on the body as well. I already know how amazing gardening is for the mind and mental health, as I have been practising it during the pandemic and it made wonders to my life. Indeed, mowing the grass takes quite a bit of time and effort, I can imagine it burns quite a few calories as well.
I’m hoping that we can start a little garden here this month. I love being outdoors. It’s always been calming for me.
I do not have a green thumb but I do love plants and having them around me. I usually have my roommate do the gardening and I reap the benefits. Sadly I kill everything.
We’ve been doing gardening every weekend in Summer for three years now, we love it. As you said, it is so relaxing and rewarding. I can’t wait for the season to start.