A researcher of the globe’s rare Blue Zones, where locals are reportedly 10 times more likely to reach 100 years old than ‘ordinary’ people, has shared his thoughts on the best exercise for longevity
Hauling yourself to the gym might be a chore, but worry no more as an expert reveals that fitness could be nurtured closer to home than you realise, and it’s just as effective for maintaining good health.
Dan Buettner, 64, the expert on the world’s elusive Blue Zones – where it’s said locals have a staggeringly higher chance of reaching a century than your average person – has spilled his secrets on TikTok (@danbuettner) suggesting that these hearty centenarians are likely to be doing one thing.
Digging around in their gardens is key, said Dan, linking gardening to lower stress and increased activity levels.
Speaking to his 152k TikTok fans, Dan claimed: “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,” attributing it to a mix of movement and chill-out factors: “Why? Because it’s a range of motion, stress levels go down, you get slightly winded.”
He further explained the appeal of this green-fingered pastime. “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’s philosophy on longevity is no solo act; his views echo Kieran Sheridan, a physio based in the UAE, who previously dished to the Mirror about the surprising calorie burn one achieves while mucking about in the garden, reports Surrey Live.
To qualify as a ‘legitimate’ workout, certain activities are essential. “According to CDC, you can burn about 300 calories with just 45 minutes of gardening,” he said at the time.
“Planting and potting for an hour can also burn 200-300 calories. It targets a lot of muscle groups because of all the strenuous physical activity – such as planting, watering, even digging and lifting fertilizer bags.”
For context, if you weigh around 10 stone, walking on a treadmill at a brisk pace of 3.5mph would see you burning roughly 258 calories an hour, according to Very Well Fit. Increase your speed to 6mph, and you could be looking at 680 calories burned per hour.
Kieran highlighted that gardening engages various muscle groups throughout the body, including those in your buttocks, abdomen, back, legs, and arms. Digging, in particular, is likely to burn the most calories due to the pushing action working many muscles at once.
He added: “It’s also required to stretch first to build your strength before gardening and also to avoid cramps and overworking the muscles after gardening. These gardening tasks also help burn calories just like a simple exercise would do.”
“I advise mixing things up when gardening. You can’t do one task alone because it could strain your muscles. For example, just planting and carrying bags of mulch will be physically straining, which can lead to injuries and body pain. I’d suggest doing other tasks such as pulling weeds and raking.”