Longest-living people stick to one hobby that isn't sweaty but 'counts' as exercise
Longest-living people stick to one hobby that isn't sweaty but 'counts' as exercise
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Working out at the gym can feel like a lot of effort - even if we know that exercise is crucial to staying healthy. Yet, one expert now claims that a low-intensity hobby will keep you fitter than you might expect - and it's good news for green-thumbed fanatics.
Dan Buettner, 64, is a seasoned explorer of the world's rare 'Blue Zones', where residents are reportedly 10 times more likely to reach 100 years old than 'average' citizens of the United States. In a recent TikTok post (@danbuettner), he argued that the longest-living people are more likely to garden, linking this to decreased stress and increased movement.
"After 20 years of looking at the world's longest-living people, I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt, the best physical activity there is, is gardening," Dan told his 152k followers. "Why? Because it's a range of motion, stress levels go down, you get slightly winded.
"And because you planted these vegetables and you want to see them grow and you want to eat them, it gives you an impetus to do it every day. To water, weed or harvest every day. "And when it comes to longevity, if it's not something you're going to do a lot for a long time, forget about it. Plant a garden and we'll see you when you're 100.".
Dan certainly isn't alone in his thoughts either. Kieran Sheridan, a UAE-based physiotherapist, previously told the Mirror that you can burn a surprising number of calories while working in the garden. However, for this to 'count' as a workout, you'd need to do a few specific tasks. "According to CDC, you can burn about 300 calories with just 45 minutes of gardening," he explained at the time.
