Video: Surprising ways gardening is great for your health By Mayo Clinic Staff Share Facebook Twitter Print details Sunflowers. Zucchinis. Okra. Whatever you're growing, working in the garden can have big benefits for your health. Watch to learn why it pays to work some gardening into your week. Show transcript Surprising ways gardening is great for your health #1: It's a workout in the dirt. Build muscle and elevate your heart rate without knowing you're exercising. #2: Gardens grow food and friends. Been awhile since you connected with a neighbor? Share your harvest. #3: Get an instant mood boost. Gardening lowers certain stress hormones. Plus sunshine is a natural antidepressant. Guidance from the experts at Mayo Clinic.Get more healthy action tips delivered daily when you download the Mayo Clinic App. Show references Soga M, et al. Gardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysis. Preventive Medicine Reports. 2017; doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.11.007. Bloomfield D. What makes nature-based interventions for mental health successful? BJPsych International. 2017;14:82. 5 secret health benefits of gardening. AARP. https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2017/health-benefits-of-gardening-fd.html. Accessed March 25, 2019. Plants: Partners in health? U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2016/04/plants-partners-health. Accessed March 25, 2019. AskMayoExpert. Vitamin D deficiency. Mayo Clinic; 2018. VID-20455614