Weeding, mowing, raking and digging benefit your bones as well as your garden. University of Arkansas researchers found that women older than 50 who gardened at least once a week had higher bone-density scores than women who jogged, swam, walked or cycled.
In addition to building bones, yard work also burns calories. According to Sherry Rindels of the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University in Ames, 30 minutes of gardening equates roughly to the following caloric expenditures:
Calories Burned
Activity
Muscle Groups Worked
Digging
150-200
upper body, back, legs
Mowing (push mower)
180-236
whole body
Planting/transplanting
135-180
hands, forearms, shoulders, upper back
Raking
120-157
arms, shoulders, back, hamstrings, buttocks
Weeding (pulling, not spraying)
138-181
arms, legs, hips, buttocks, hamstrings