Fancy a personalised gym right outside your back door? You’ve got it! There’s much anecdotal chatter that gardening makes you fit and happy. Now that optimism is backed with scientific proof.
1. Soil can trigger the release of serotonin
Kids do it, puppies do it, but as adults we avoid getting soil on our skin and pull on our gardening gloves. Now scientists at Bristol University and University College London in the UK have found it’s good to get down and dirty. Researchers discovered that beneficial soil bacteria trigger the release of serotonin in the brain, which has a positive impact on your mood.

2. It may help prevent allergies
Other studies, in mice, provide evidence that exposure to this bacteria may protect against the development of allergies. So those kids and pups may be wiser than you thought! However, wear gloves if you have cuts or abrasions or are handling blood and bone. And wash your hands after.
3. You’ll get a dose of vitamin D
The best-known benefit of sunlight is a boost to your level of vitamin D. A deficiency in vitamin D will affect your bones. In children, bones aren’t formed correctly; in adults, it leads to lower bone density, resulting in a greater risk of broken bones if you fall. If you’re in your garden in peak UV weather, use sunscreen and wear a hat. And yes, just in case you’re wondering, your body will still absorb vitamin D if you’re wearing sunscreen.
Fortunately, the best times for watering and tending your garden are mornings and late afternoons, when the UV levels are lower.

4. It’s an easy workout
Think of gardening as exercise that gets you fitter and beautifies your environment. Digging, raking and mowing are aerobic activities that use your body’s large muscle groups to maintain dexterity and strength, increase your heart rate and use up calories.
Exercise researchers use a measure called the metabolic equivalent of task (MET). It starts with a MET of 1, the energy used when sitting quietly, and ends with 6, vigorous activity such as tennis, soccer and running.
Garden activities are in the range of 3 to 5. Picking flowers and vegetables is 3, digging and composting is 3.5, raking is 4, planting is 4.3, pushing a wheelbarrow is 4.8 and mowing is 5.

5. It may help reduce blood pressure
Working in the garden in the sunshine also has a positive effect on blood pressure. A landmark US study released in 2020 found conclusively that insufficient exposure to sunlight raised blood pressure, a leading cause of premature disease and death globally.