A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has said that even the gentlest of physical activity can be very beneficial on your heart. Low-to-moderate activities, such as gardening, can lower your risk of a heart attack or a stroke. This is great news for gardeners!
The study followed a group of over 88,000 people for about 11 years. All of these people were between the ages of 40 and 85. Those that participated in about 10 to 59 minutes of low-level physical activity per week had an 18% lower risk of death. The activities were gardening, walking, or dancing.
The risk of death from a heart attack or stroke dropped 12%! It shows that every physical activity counts when it comes to your health. Even if you think that gardening or going on walks is not that helpful to your health, it truly is!
For those people who did a little more exercise, about 2.5 to 5 hours per week, their risk went down about 31%.
What is it about gardening that is so great for your health?
Think about what you do when you garden. You move around, you bend, squat, dig, and rake. All of these motions are a great workout. They increase your metabolic rate, get your heart rate elevated, and get your body moving. Even though you aren’t exercising hard, you are still getting benefits.
Gardening is also great to help strengthen your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and even muscles in your hands and feet. Do you ever get sore after you spend the day gardening? Give yourself some credit, you’re doing some hard work out there!
For even more health benefits, try harder workouts
If you’re ready to get even more benefits and boost your health, don’t knock higher intensity workouts. Try going to the gym, going on a brisk walk, running, riding a bike, playing sports, and more. Mix up your workouts so you don’t get bored or complacent.
What do you think about gardening as a workout? Did you know it had so many health benefits? If you enjoy gardening, please SHARE this article with your friends and family who love gardening or may want to try it!