At 59, Pamela Anderson’s approach to fitness is refreshingly simple.
While she’s previously shared that she’s a fan of Pilates, she doesn’t currently have access to it at home on Vancouver Island.
‘I have a little basement in my boathouse…I could put a Pilates [reformer] in there, but I’d probably get tangled up in it,’ she told ELLE US last year.
Instead, she tends to incorporate movement into her everyday life in a less formal way.
Her go-to activity? Gardening.
As well as the mental clarity and general wellbeing boost it brings her, Pamela recently told People that ‘it’s a good workout! I think it’s better than going to the gym, doing garden work’.
And while tending to the garden might not look like a conventional workout, there’s good reason to count it towards your daily movement.
Why gardening counts as exercise
Gardening can contribute to your NEAT – or non-exercise activity thermogenesis.
While that might sound complicated, it simply refers to the energy you expend through everyday movement outside of formal exercise (such as running or resistance training) and sleeping, personal trainer Elliott Upton previously explained to Women’s Health.
Increasing the amount of movement in your day can support cardiovascular and metabolic health, while helping to reduce the amount of time you spend sedentary.
In fact, a major new study that tracked more than 90,000 people found that spending long, uninterrupted periods sedentary was associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality.
After monitoring participants’ movement using accelerometers over 12 years, researchers found that every additional hour a day spent in prolonged sedentary behaviour – sitting or lying down while awake – was associated with a 10% higher risk of dying from cancer.
But there was good news, too. Breaking up prolonged sedentary time with even light activity, such as household chores or a gentle walk, was associated with a lower risk, with greater benefits observed at moderate and vigorous intensities.
And gardening can be more intense than you think
While gardening can contribute to NEAT, some of the more physically demanding tasks can also push you into moderate or even vigorous-intensity activity.
Think digging, carrying heavy bags of compost or briskly transporting tools from one end of the garden to another – and given that Pamela lives on a seven-acre coastal property, there could be plenty of opportunity for that.
Scientists have another acronym for short bursts of vigorous everyday movement: VILPA, or vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity.
A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that just a few minutes of vigorous-intensity activity incorporated into everyday life was associated with heart health benefits in women.
The takeaway? Pamela is onto something. Formal workouts certainly have their place, but movement doesn’t only count when you’re wearing gym kit. Building more activity into the things you already do each day can make a meaningful contribution to your overall health.
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Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.