10 Mindblowing Things That Happen As You Age

It turns out that pottering about the garden in your twilight years could affect more than just the health of your begonias.

In a recent 12-year Swedish study of 4200 over-60s, scientists found that those who were more active, but did not "exercise" as such, were much less likely to suffer from life-threatening diseases and were generally in much better shape than those who didn't.

The study found that those who undertook activities such as gardening, DIY and even foraging were 27% less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke and had a 30% reduced risk of death from all causes, even if they didn't undertake "proper" formal exercise.

They were also found to have smaller waists, lower glucose and insulin levels and reduced risk of blood clots - all from a bit of gardening.

It is thought that, although the participants of the study weren't running marathons or climbing Kilimanjaro, just the fact that they were standing up was enough. Long periods of sitting down have the potential to bring the metabolic rate down its lowest ebb and disrupt hormone levels in the muscles, with potentially devastating effects on internal organs and overall health.

So, if you're over 60, put the knitting down for a bit and go sort those decorative borders.