Can older gardeners meet the physical activity recommendation through gardening?

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate if older gardeners meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American College of Sports Medicine physical activity (PA) recommendation of at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity PA on most days of the week through gardening. The heart rate of 14 gardeners (five women, nine men) aged 63 to 86 years was continuously measured through radiotelemetry, during gardening. Oxygen uptake and energy expenditure were measured through indirect calorimetry using a submaximal graded exercise test in a laboratory. To determine how long the subjects gardened and the kinds of gardening tasks performed, an observational study was conducted by two trained observers, and weekly logs were completed by the subjects. To investigate the subjects physical and mental health conditions, the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) was used. Gardening was determined to be moderate intensity (3.8 ± 1.4 metabolic equivalents) PA. The subjects' average gardening time during the observational study was 53 minutes. The subjects reported gardening an average of 33 hours in a typical week in May and almost 15 hours in a typical week in June and July. Results from the SF-36 indicated that the subjects were physically and mentally healthy. In conclusion, healthy older gardeners can meet the PA recommendation from their daily gardening and it may be a factor leading to good physical and mental health.