Why Gardening Is Good for Our Mental & Physical Health

On Monday, June 22, I’ll be turning 48 years old.

Now, I still think 48 is young. But I also know that working outdoors and doing physical labor day after day is hard on the body. Landscaping is not easy work. It’s lifting heavy pots, hauling mulch, digging holes in Florida heat, bending, pulling, pushing, and moving constantly.

Because of that, I’m often asked:

“What are you going to do when you can’t landscape anymore?”

And honestly, I don’t plan on stopping for a very long time.

Slow down someday? Maybe.
Stop completely? I can’t imagine it.

This plant stuff is in my blood.

My great-grandfather planted his last tobacco crop at 85 years old and continued planting one-acre gardens until he passed away at 92. Working the land was simply part of who he was. I think gardening becomes that way for many of us. It stops being just a hobby or a job and becomes part of your identity, your peace, and your purpose.

Gardening is where I go to lose myself and somehow find myself all over again.

Gardening Keeps the Body Moving

One of the reasons I believe gardening is so good for us is because it keeps us physically active in a very natural way.

Modern life has made many people sedentary. We spend hours sitting in cars, behind desks, or looking at screens. Gardening asks our bodies to move differently. We squat, lift, stretch, walk, pull, carry, and bend. We use muscles, balance, coordination, and endurance all at once.

And while gardening may not look like a traditional workout, trust me—it absolutely is.

To keep my body in “gardening shape,” I focus on three major things:

• Eating a healthy, high-protein, vegetable-rich diet

• Walking 1.5–3 miles daily outside of work

• Lifting weights or doing bodyweight resistance training four days a week

And yes… every Friday evening includes an ice cream sundae because balance matters too. 🍨

If I don’t strength train, I can feel it in my work almost immediately. Landscaping requires core strength, flexibility, grip strength, and stamina. I need to be able to lift mulch bags, move heavy pots, crouch down, and stay mobile throughout long days outdoors.

While I do have help with some of the heavier lifting these days, I still do a large portion of the physical work myself. I want to be able to move my body for many years to come.

That also means prioritizing:

• Hydration

• Sleep

• Recovery

• Stretching and mobility work

Rest matters just as much as movement. But keeping my body strong is what allows me to continue doing the work I love.

Movement Helps Us Age Better

After having my hip replaced in May of 2025, I honestly feel like a new woman.

Pain changes everything. When movement hurts, life feels smaller. And once I recovered and could move freely again, I was reminded just how important movement is—not only for physical health, but for mental health too.

I truly believe lack of movement ages us.

Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.

The more we stop moving, exploring, creating, and engaging with life, the smaller our world can become. Gardening encourages us to stay curious, active, hopeful, and connected to the seasons around us.

It gives us purpose.

Nature Heals the Mind

Gardening has always been more than physical work for me.

Being outside heals my mind.

The garden gives me space to think, regroup, process stress, and reconnect with myself. Some of my clearest thoughts happen while watering plants, pruning shrubs, or simply observing butterflies moving through the garden.

Nature has a way of grounding us when life feels overwhelming.

It slows racing thoughts without forcing stillness. It gives us beauty to focus on. It reminds us that growth takes time. And it teaches us resilience over and over again.

Plants continue growing through heat, storms, drought, pests, and difficult seasons. There is something deeply comforting about that.

Gardening Is Good for Us

I truly believe gardening is one of the healthiest things we can do for both our minds and our bodies.

It keeps us moving.
It keeps us learning.
It keeps us hopeful.
It connects us to nature, to seasons, and often to ourselves.

Whether you garden in containers on a patio, maintain a pollinator garden, grow vegetables, or work in landscaping professionally, the act of nurturing living things changes us in positive ways.

For me, gardening is not just work. It’s therapy, movement, creativity, peace, purpose, and connection all wrapped together.

And as long as I’m able, I plan to keep digging in the dirt.

Always keep growing. 🌿