(Maria Teijeiro)

Want to slim down before swimsuit season? Take up gardening.

Gardeners not only weigh less than their neighbors, but also they have a significantly lower chance of being overweight or obese, researchers at the University of Utah report in the American Journal of Public Health online.

Women community gardeners had an average BMI 1.84 lower than their neighbors, translating to an 11-pound weight difference in a 5’5” woman. In men, BMI was lower by 2.36 – a difference of 16 pounds in a 5’10” man.

Researchers then compared community gardeners to their same-sex siblings and found that women gardeners had a statistically significant lower BMI than their sisters. While not statistically significant, male gardeners also clocked lower BMIs than their non-gardening brothers. Gardeners had no major BMI differences compared to their spouses, a fact researchers attributed to spouses possibly helping out in the garden and reaping the nutritional benefits of the food grown.

Still, the authors cautioned that these results should be considered preliminary until more research is done. "However, as the percentage of Americans living in urban areas continues to grow, this initial study validates the idea that community gardens are a valuable neighborhood asset that can promote healthier living,” lead author Catherine Zick, PhD, said in a press release. “That could be of interest to urban planners, public health officials and others focused on designing new neighborhoods and revitalizing old ones."

Urban green space can provide an emotional benefit as well, a separate study published in the journal Psychological Science found. Green space can boost wellbeing so much, researchers said it’s equal to about a third of the health impact of marriage. (Married people live longer, report better emotional health and are more likely to survive events like cancer or a heart attack than their non-married peers.)Still, researchers caution that moving to a greener neighborhood isn’t necessarily the ticket to happiness. But this new data does confirm previous experimental studies that found that short bouts of time in a green or natural space can improve a person’s mood and cognitive ability.

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Gallup-Healthways announced that according to their 2012 surveys, a state known for its stunning outdoor vistas and mountainous terrain has the smallest percentage of citizens who are obese. States here are listed in order from thinnest to fattest - keep clicking to find out where your state ranks. (Thinkstock/George Doyle)