by Carolyn Thomas   ♥  @HeartSisters

It turns out that gardening is associated with better cardiovascular health among older adults compared to older adults who do NOT garden, according to researchers at Penn State University.(1) 

Gardening, they explain, is considered “a multi-component physical activity that encompasses balance, muscle-strengthening, and aerobic exercise obtained through a range of activities and intensities.”

For example, most physical activity health guidelines recommend that adults “engage in at least 2 1/2 hours of moderate intensity physical activity per week” – at a level called a Metabolic Equivalent (or MET) of 3 or higher. (A MET is a number that indicates the relative rate at which you burn calories during a physical activity).

If you’re sitting down while reading this article, for example, that’s barely one MET. Reading won’t make much of a dent in your physical activity goals – unless you’re like my reader Helen Robert, a survivor of a SCAD heart attack who sent in this photo of my book propped up on her treadmill in Ottawa with the note: “This book has been getting me through my daily treadmill this week!”)  Thank you, Helen!  ♥

The Penn State researchers found that the older adult gardeners they studied “spend 15–33 hours/week gardening during the active growing season (May-July) – and the activities in which they engage average 3.8 METs.”(2)      .   
Continue reading “Can gardening ward off heart attacks?” →