Another
reason to get your hands dirty…Gardening
provides recommended physical activity for
older adults
MANHATTAN, KS—The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the American
College of Sports Medicine recommends at
least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity
physical activity on most days of the week
in order to maintain and improve optimal
health.
This recommendation is especially important
for older Americans, who can be less likely
to fulfill this requirement, yet are more at
risk for chronic diseases associated with
aging.
Gardening is a very popular leisure activity
for adults aged 65 or older in the United
States. A recent study conducted by Sin-Ae
Park, Candice Shoemaker, and Mark Haub of
Kansas State University, set out to
determine if gardening enables older adults
to meet the physical activity recommendation
set forth by the CDC and the ACSM.
A previous study concluded that gardening
results in improvement in mental health and
depression for participants.
Researchers were now interested in finding
out if gardening can offer subjects the same
positive health benefits that regular
physical activity (such as jogging,
swimming, or weight training) provides.
Gardening was expected to influence
whole-body bone mineral density because it
included weight-bearing motions such as
pushing a mower, digging holes, pulling
weeds, carrying soil, and other tasks
required use muscle groups in the entire
body.
The study was conducted on 14 gardeners aged
63-86 years. Measurements taken by
researchers included heart rate, oxygen
intake and energy expenditure, and the
participants also kept weekly logs of their
gardening activity.
The study also sought to determine the
average amount of time that gardeners spent
at their task per week.
Subjects
reported, on average, gardening about 33
hours per week during May, but averaged only
15 hours per week in June and July.
Older adults are at a higher risk for a
sedentary lifestyle, which is one of the
factors of increased risk of decline of
muscular strength and endurance,
flexibility, balance, and cardiopulmonary
health.
One of the factors cited that makes these
adults less likely to participate in
physical activity is boredom during
exercising.
The variety of tasks associated with
gardening is one reason older adults are
more likely to stick with their regimen;
gardening tasks change throughout the season
and different activities are involved in
daily chores.
The researchers concluded that gardening is
a great way for older adults to meet the
physical activity recommendations set forth
by the CDC and the ACSM. One limit the study
found was the seasonal nature of gardening.
In climates where there are defined seasons,
time spent gardening or maintaining a yard
in winter is less than in the warm growing
season. Continued research is needed to
investigate the healthful benefits of
gardening in all the regions of the United
States.
