Gardening is much more than just a rewarding hobby, it can also be a fantastic form of exercise. Whether you’re digging borders, planting flowers or mowing the lawn, gardening keeps your body moving, while helping improve strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health.
Alongside the physical benefits, spending time outside in nature can do wonders for mental wellbeing, helping to reduce stress and improve mood through time spent outdoors.
In this guide we will explore why spending time outdoors gardening can be one of the easiest ways to stay active and keep on top of your physical and mental health.
Is Gardening Good Exercise?
Getting outside and gardening can be a great way to exercise. As you move around your garden, going from task to task you are working your body in several ways. One day spent gardening works your legs, arms, core, back and more, helping to burn calories and build functional strength and stretch your muscles.
The Top Physical Benefits of Gardening
Builds Strength Throughout Your Body
Gardening involves a surprising amount of strength based movement, digging soil, lifting heavy compost bags and pots, pushing wheelbarrows. This engages several major muscle groups, including, legs, back, arms and core.
Over time these repeated movements help to build functional muscle strength that supports every day activities.
Improves Heart Health
Activities such as mowing the lawn, raking leaves or digging beds can elevate your heart rate, making them a great form of cardio, improving circulation and cardiovascular fitness.
This gentle but consistent movement equates to a brisk walk, which is vital for keeping your heart and cardiovascular health intact.
Burns Calories
Gardening is a fantastic calorie burner, without it feeling like intense exercise. Different tasks vary in calorie expenditure but even light gardening contributes.
Improves Flexibility and Mobility
Gardening naturally involves bending, stretching, reaching and squatting. The movements are vital for maintaining mobility and flexibility, especially as you get older.
Regular movement in the garden can help keep the body limber without the impact of high intensity exercise.
Supports Healthy Joints
Unlike many forms of exercise gardening is relatively low impact, meaning it puts less strain on the joints while still keeping them active.
Using supportive gardening tools such as kneelers and ergonomic tools can help make gardening more accessible by reducing strain on joints.
Improves Balance and Coordination
Moving between different areas of the garden, carrying equipment and working on uneven surfaces all help maintain and improve balance and coordination over time.
These small but frequent movements contribute to better stability and physical confidence.
Which Gardening Jobs Give You the Best Workout?
Some gardening jobs a more physically demanding than others, if your looking to increase activity levels focus on:
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Digging and turning soil
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Moving compost or soil bags
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Mowing the lawn
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Hedge trimming
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Sweeping patios
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Lifting and carrying pots
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Wheelbarrow work
How Often Should You Garden?
For general health benefits gardening for 30 minutes several times a week is a great target.
However, even shorter sessions can be beneficial if you stay active and vary your tasks. The key is consistency, rather than intensity; regular movement throughout the week adds up quickly.
Gardening Safely
To get the most from gardening while avoiding strain or injury, it is important to take a few simple precautions
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Warm up first.
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Lift correctly.
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Stay hydrated.
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Wear gloves.
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Wear sunscreen.
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Take breaks.
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Use ergonomic tools.
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Avoid overreaching.
Essential tools that make work easier
Using the right tools can make gardening more comfortable and efficient, especially when working for longer time periods.
Helpful items include:
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Ergonomic hand tools
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Light weight watering cans
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Long handled forks and spades
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Wheelbarrows
The Mental Health Benefits of Gardening
Spending regular time outdoors and in green spaces has been linked to reduced stress levels, improved mood and a greater sense of calm. Gardening also encourages mindfulness, as it naturally draws your attention to the present moment, whether you’re planting, pruning or simply observing growth.
Helps reduce stress
Being outdoors in green spaces and fresh air can help you unwind and slow down. By focusing on one task at a time, especially relative tasks such as weeding, it can help you to feel calm and unwind from a busy, stressful week.
Boosts your mood
Spending time outside in natural daylight can help lift your mood, while caring for plants and watching them grow can create a real sense of achievement. Even small gardening successes can leave you feeling happier and more positive.
Encourages mindfulness
Gardening naturally encourages you to stay present in the moment. Focusing on your plants, the sounds of nature or the feel of the oil can help provide a welcome break from busy schedules and everyday distractions
Supports better sleep
Being physically active outdoors can help you to feel pleasantly tired at the end of the day, while exposure to natural light supports a healthy sleep-wake cycle. Together these can contribute to a better night's sleep.
Creates a sense of purpose
From sowing seeds to harvesting homegrown produce, gardening offers rewarding goals throughout the seasons. Watching your hard work pay off can bring a real sense of purpose and satisfaction, whatever this size of your garden.
No garden? You can still enjoy the benefits of gardening
You don’t need a large garden to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of gardening. Whether you have a balcony, patio or even just a sunny windowsill, there are plenty of ways to get your hands dirty and connect with nature.
Grow on a patio or balcony
Containers, raised planters and hanging baskets are perfect for growing flowers, herbs and even vegetables in smaller spaces. Watering, planting and caring for container plants still keeps you active while brightening up your outdoor space.
Bring the outdoors in
Houseplants are a great option if you don't have access to a garden. Caring for indoor plants can be just as rewarding, and filling your home with greenery can help create a calm, relaxing environment. From watering and repotting to watching new leaves uncurl, looking after house plants is a simple way to enjoy many of the same wellbeing benefits.
Consider an allotment
If you would love more outdoor space to grow your own fruit, vegetables or flowers, an allotment could be the perfect solution. Allotment offers all the physical activity and satisfaction of gardening, while also giving you the opportunity to become part of the local gardening community. If you’re thinking about getting started, take a look at our beginners guide to allotments for everything you need to know.
FAQs
Does gardening count as exercise?
Yes. gardening is considered moderate physical activity and can contribute to weekly recommended exercise levels.
Can gardening help you lose weight
Gardening can help support weight management by increasing daily calorie burn, especially when combined with a balanced diet and active lifestyle
Is gardening good for older adults?
Yes gardening is good for older adults. It is a low impact activity that helps maintain strength, flexibility and mobility.
Is gardening good for mental health?
Yes, spending time in nature and engaging in mindful, repetitive tasks is great for reducing stress and improving mood.
Gardening is one of the most effective and simple ways to stay active. From building strength and improving cardiovascular health to improving flexibility and mobility, it offers a wide range of health benefits without feeling like structured exercise.
Whether you’re looking after a big leafy green garden or a few pots on a small patio. Every bit of digging, planting and watering helps you stay active and get outside.
With the added bonus of the boost it gives to your mental wellbeing, gardening really is one of those rare things that is good for your body and mind.