This study aimed to identify the exercise intensity associated with four common physical activities for adults (running, skipping rope, walking, and muscle strength exercises) and two horticultural activities (creating a vegetable bed and garden maintenance). For this experiment, 19 males (mean age: 25.8 ± 2.3 years) randomly participated in the activities at a glasshouse at Konkuk University. Each of the six activities lasted for 5 minutes; the subjects rested for 5 minutes during intervals between the activities. A portable metabolic analyzer was used to store the oxygen and energy consumption values obtained upon measurement of each activity. In addition, a wireless heart rate monitor was used to measure the subjects' heart rate. According to the results, the four types of physical activities and two horticultural activities carried out by the subjects are moderate-to high-intensity activities [i.e., 3.8 ± 0.9 to 9.9 ± 2.1 metabolic equivalents (METs)]. Running (9.9 ± 2.1 METs) and skipping rope (8.8 ± 2.2 METs) were categorized as high-intensity physical activities, whereas creating a vegetable bed (5.0 ± 1.2 METs), walking (4.9 ± 0.8 METs), muscle strength exercises (4.5 ± 1.3 METs), and garden maintenance (3.8 ± 0.9 METs) were classified as moderate-intensity physical activities. The exercise intensities of horticultural activities in this study were similar to those of walking and muscle strength exercises. Therefore, participating in these horticultural activities is expected to garner health benefits similar to those reaped from the physical activities described in the current study.

This study investigated the exercise intensity and energy expenditure involved in two gardening activities (planting transplants and sowing seeds in a garden plot) and four common physical activities (running, skipping rope, walking, and throwing a ball) in children. Eighteen children aged 11 to 13 years (mean age, 12.3 ± 0.7 years) participated in this study. The children made two visits to a high tunnel in Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea and performed randomly selected activities. Each activity was performed for 10 min, with a 5-min rest period between activities. The children wore a Cosmed K4b 2 (Cosmed K4b 2 ; Cosmed, Rome, Italy), which is a portable calorimetric monitoring system, to measure indicators of metabolic cost such as oxygen uptake and energy expenditure. The children's heart rates during the activities were measured by radiotelemetry (Polar T 31; FitMed, Kempele, Finland). We found that the two gardening and four physical activities performed by the 11-13 years old children in this study were moderateto high-intensity physical activities [i.e., 5.4 ± 0.7 to 9.1 ± 1.4 metabolic equivalents (METs)]. Running (9.1 ± 1.4 METs) and skipping rope (8.8 ± 1.1 METs) were high-intensity physical activities, whereas walking (6.1 ± 0.9 METs), planting transplants (5.8 ± 1.1 METs), throwing a ball (5.6 ± 1.1 METs), and sowing seeds (5.4 ± 0.7 METs) were moderate-intensity physical activities. Running and skipping rope were significantly more intense than the other activities (P < 0.0001). The gardening tasks such as planting transplants and sowing seeds in a garden plot showed similar exercise intensities and energy costs as walking and throwing a ball. This study indicates that gardening can be used as a physical activity intervention to provide health benefits similar to more common physical activities such as walking and running.