28. Gardening could help you live longer
“Life begins the day you start a garden,” says a Chinese proverb. Research on five global “blue zones”places where residents are known for their longevity, suggests that those lives that begin in the garden will last there for a long, high-quality time. People living in these so-called “blue zones” have certain factors in common, social support networks, daily exercise habits, and a plant-based diet, for starters. But they share another unexpected commonality. In each community, people are gardening well into old age – their 80s, 90s and beyond. Could nurturing your green thumb help you live longer?
When looking at the age group 60+ gardening can help prolong life by up to as much as 30%. The connection between gardening and longevity goes on and on. People who grow more fruits and vegetables themselves, for example, are more likely to have diets containing more plants than animals or processed foods.On an emotional level, tending a garden also contributes to well-being. Dr. Bradley Willcox of the University of Hawaii, who studies Japanese centenarians, recently told the BBC, “In Okinawa, they say that anybody who grows old healthfully needs a reason for living. Gardening gives you something to get up for every day.”
