If you've been mulching and adding organic matter to the top of your soil, your perennial beds should be easily shoveled. When I moved my blueberry bushes a few years ago, the soil was easily dug. Nobody had done anything to it for 20 years. The leaves had accumulated on top of it and been incorporated by the worms. Now try digging in your lawn.
Most people add little to no organic matter to the soil, and the lawn is tramped on regularly.
Even though this isn't tilled, it's going to be harder to dig. The foot traffic causes compaction. The lack of organic matter limits the organisms living under your soil. The lesson learned is you have to ad organic matter to your no till beds and avoid stepping on them. In reality, I step on the beds occasionally.