In the study, Dr. Turner and colleagues measured the bone mineral density of the femur of 3,310 women aged 50 and over. Fifty-seven percent of those women had reduced bone density or osteoporosis. According to their data, women who gardened at least once a week had stronger bones than women who were sedentary or participated in other activities such as jogging, swimming, walking or aerobics. Weekly weight training, bicycling, aerobics and dancing were also associated with greater bone density than swimming, jogging or yoga, Dr. Turner added. While just 45 of the women surveyed did weight training, more than 1,000 women reported doing some form of yard work at least once a week.
People have other motivations for gardening.
They take pride in a beautiful yard and pleasure in being outdoors. They'll probably continue to do it as long as they're able. The researcher did warn, however, that exercise alone may not help women avoid osteoporosis. But the more we know, the more we can encourage women to maintain healthy lifestyles and the more power we can give them to prevent this disease.