All summer long Aaron wants the drapes in the living room closed to keep the sun from blazing in and heating up the house. Even though the swamp cooler costs mere pennies to run. Even though the garden I labor in and seek to beautify all summer long is on the other side of those drapes. Even though I want to see that garden while I’m inside. Maybe he’s trying to drive me crazy. I know, it’s a short trip. Maybe, just maybe, learning some of the benefits to seeing nature will let him open up (the drapes) a little bit.
Previous articles addressed the numerous mental health benefits of specifically working in a garden and being outdoors in general. Now, we’ll take a look at the physiological benefits of working in the garden and enjoying nature.
Of course, we tell ourselves that we’re getting exercise when we’re digging out weeds or carrying bags of compost. But is it really enough?
A Harvard study suggested that gardening is comparable to moderate calisthenics, mowing the lawn, or operating the (walking) snowblower.[1] Data collected by researchers in Salt Lake City from men and women involved with community gardens (so their garden plots are roughly the same size) showed that, on average, women weighed 11 pounds less and men weighed 9 pounds less than their non-gardening neighbors and same-sex siblings.[2] What’s really cool (or unfair, I suppose) is that the benefit extends to the non-gardening spouse, perhaps because the spouse is eating healthier, or perhaps s/he’s pitching in a bit with the work.[3]
Are there other physiological benefits? Why, yes. Yes, there are. Some of the research pertains only to gardeners; some studies include other outdoor, nature-based activities.
One US study revealed that those who gardened more than 60 minutes weekly had a 66% lower risk of heart attacks.[4] Another found that gardeners had better bone density.[5] A British study showed that 30 minutes of exercise per week lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20-30%; incorporating multiple lifestyle interventions (like gardening), lowered the heart attack risk by 80%.[6] A 2005 study revealed that this is due, at least in part, to the fact that working with plants reduces the pulse rate.[7] Anger and fatigue are also lessened.[8] A British study found that stress decreased as the diversity of plants in the garden increased.[9] [10]This probably means that buying extra seeds or bringing home that lonely looking shrub from Home Depot is ok. đ
Recent research reveals that the physiological benefits of time spent in nature go beyond the garden. The scientists call it nature-based interventions (NBI) or forest therapy. City slickers call if forest bathing, maybe because it sounds a little more city-slicker cool than going for a hike. Or maybe it sounds easier to do. There’s also this related field called lifestyle medicine, which emphasizes managing stress, sleeping well (guess that eliminates me), and connecting with people. And all of these also happen in or as a result of working in a garden. Time spent in green space or “forest bathing” has been shown to significantly lower blood pressure in patients with chronic hypertension.[11] Numerous studies also identified that forest-based interventions reduced blood glucose levels in individuals with impaired glucose metabolism, like type-2 diabetics.[12] And it has been found that people with green space experience less disease.[13]
Getting outside and growing our food blesses us in so many ways.
[1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-for-people-of-three-different-weights
[2] https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301009
[3] https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301009
[5] https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250509-how-gardening-boosts-brain-health?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
[6] British Heart Foundation . International Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Case Studies. England, UK: Health England, 2018.
[7] https://journals.lww.com/jcrjournal/abstract/2005/09000/effects_of_horticultural_therapy_on_mood_and_heart.8.aspx
[8] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335516301401?via%3Dihub#bb0325
[9] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275121000160?via%3Dihub#bb0455
[11] Huang L, Li A, Li Z et al. Adjunctive therapeutic effects of Forest bathing trips on geriatric hypertension: Results from an on-site experiment in the Cinnamomum camphora Forest environment in four seasons. Forests 2023;14:75. https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/1/75 (accessed 7 October 2025).
[12] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12395953/
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