Clarkson’s Farm star Lisa Hogan is in peak physical shape, but you won’t find her spending hours in the gym. Instead, she credits her fitness to the completely accidental physical labour required to run Diddly Squat Farm.

In an official promotional interview for Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm, she explained how harvesting goods for the farm shop she owns with husband Jeremy Clarkson has transformed her routine. ‘We spent a day picking elderflower from the hedgerows, we’re always foraging: I’ve given up the gym now, being on the farm keeps me fit,’ she said.

Besides foraging, her daily farm workout consists of various functional movements like lifting heavy crates, walking miles across uneven farmland terrain, and chasing livestock (an occurrence in pretty much every episode, if you haven’t seen it). In various other press interviews, she’s also mentioned using muscles she didn’t know she had, plus covering tens of thousands of steps across the farmland.

Her active lifestyle is built on the concept of NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). According to a study published in the American Journal of Physiology, NEAT represents the energy we burn doing everything that isn’t sleeping, eating, or intentional exercise (e.g. dedicated gym workouts).

The study goes on to specifically reference manual agricultural tasks, adding that a transition from a sedentary desk job to farm work like Lisa’s could naturally boost a person’s metabolic output by up to 1,200 calories per day, heavily contributing to long-term cardiovascular health, weight management and muscular endurance. This continuous, low-impact movement prevents the metabolic slowdown associated with prolonged sitting, effectively keeping Lisa fit without her even meaning to.

Of course, not everyone has access to a farm, and there are plenty of other forms of NEAT that could help increase your energy output and improve several health markers – even alongside a desk job. Some examples include:

• Washing the car
• Fidgeting
• Walking upstairs
• Walking the dog
• Carry grocery shopping
• Gardening
• Playing with children or pets
• Using a standing desk
• Walking to the gym, shops, office instead of taking public or private transport

The biggest takeaway from Lisa’s routine? That fitness might not be found in a gym, but right outside your back door.

As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.

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After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!

Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.

She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.   

Exercise has long been associated with heart health. Walk, run, swim, bike or lift on a regular basis and your risk of heart disease and stroke decreases dramatically. The rewards are almost instantaneous with a drop in blood pressure notable when you swap out time on the couch for time in the gym. That’s good news for anyone with high blood pressure, which increases the chances of adverse cardiac events.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada says about one in four Canadians have been diagnosed with hypertension. That number increases in an older demographic to 51 per cent in Canadians 60-79 years of age. 

In most cases, exercise is considered safe for anyone who is effectively managing their blood pressure through medication or changes to their lifestyle. But it’s common for health-care professionals, including many organizations like the European Society of Hypertension, American College of Cardiology and the International Society of Hypertension, to advise keeping intensity in the moderate range to avoid the added cardiac stress associated with high intensity aerobic exercise. But the science related to the risk of hypertension and physical activity was largely informed by self-reported data that, when it comes to exercise, is unreliable. Not only do people routinely fudge how often they exercise, when it comes to intensity of effort there is little uniformity in determining whether a workout is light, moderate or vigorous. 

With the growing number of studies using wearable devices to accurately track activity over the course of a full day, an increasing number of exercise recommendations are being scrutinized based on more reliable data. To find out more about the relationship between exercise intensity and hypertension, a team of Australian researchers analyzed a large cohort of adults with high blood pressure who wore an accelerometer to track their daily activity.

“Using wearables-based data, our study is among the first to investigate the potential role of cardiovascular stress-related physical activity properties (intensity and bout length) on major adverse cardiovascular events in adults with diagnosed hypertension,” the researchers said. 

The researchers arranged 38,960 U.K. residents with hypertension into groups based on exercise intensity and duration. Short bouts of exercise were defined as up to three minutes at a moderate intensity and no longer than one minute at high intensity. Long bouts were any workout over five minutes of moderate intensity and over two minutes of high-intensity exercise. Hospitalization records of the cohort were then cross referenced over an eight-year period highlighting any documentation of a stroke, heart attack or heart failure.

The results offer new insight into how different types of exercise affect the heart health of people with high blood pressure. 

The good news is short bouts (up to 60 seconds) of high-intensity exercise proved not only safe, but also offer a protective effect, with fewer cardiac events found in study participants who exercised using multiple short bouts of high-intensity exercise. But the same can’t be said for high-intensity exercise lasting more than 10 minutes. 

“Such prolonged bouts could induce adverse vascular stress and adrenal gland dysfunction, which subsequently contribute to dysregulated cardiovascular function and induce increased arterial pressure,” the researchers said. “This can damage arterial walls, leading to increased stroke incidence.”

That doesn’t mean everyone with hypertension needs to avoid longer workouts done at a higher intensity. But if it’s a struggle keeping your blood pressure in a safe range and you want to start training for a speedy 5K, you may want to consult with your physician and/or cardiologist. 

“The cardioprotective effects of physical activity in hypertension depend not only intensity, but also on the duration of the physical activity bouts,” the researchers said. 

On the flip side, if you love doing multiple short bouts of high-intensity intervals in the pool, gym or on your bike, your heart is not only likely up to the challenge, but will also benefit from being put through its paces. 

How do you know whether your workout is high or moderate intensity? Take the cue from the research team and start relying on wearables to track your exercise stats. Exercise intensity is based on heart rate response during exercise while factoring in your maximum heart rate, which is based on age, both of which can be tracked on most smart watches. 

And since smart watches keep all the historical data from your workouts you can share your heart rate’s response to exercise with your medical team and discuss the most prudent form of exercise. Cardiac events while exercising are rare, but the accumulation of stress on the heart can lead to complications down the road. The best option is to find an exercise format that improves heart health in the long and short term as well as meeting the rest of your health and fitness goals. 

“Our findings, alongside recent device-based studies focused on short bouts of high intensity activities, provide valuable insights for potentially re-evaluating treatment options for patients with hypertension,” the researchers said. 

Business owner and women’s health, fitness and menopause educator Meera Bhogal says her ‘relationship with exercise today is almost unrecognisable’ compared with what it was like when she was younger. Clearly, something is working, as she’s reduced both her biological and metabolic ages by a full decade.

So, what’s changed?

‘Growing up, the focus was very much on being as thin as possible – exercise was used as a tool to burn calories and compensate for food,’ Meera tells WH. ‘I spent hours doing cardio, aerobics and spin classes because I believed that feeling exhausted and drenched in sweat was what made a workout successful.’

‘Now, my approach is completely different – exercise is no longer about chasing a particular body shape. It’s about maintaining my health, preserving muscle mass, supporting my mobility and staying physically capable for decades to come,’ she adds. ‘I want to be strong, independent and healthy well into my later years, and my training now supports my long-term quality of life rather than simply changing how I look.’

1. She practises yoga regularly

Meera says regular yoga has been ‘transformational’ for her.

‘Yoga has taught me how to slow down, connect with my breath and view movement as a form of moving meditation,’ she explains. ‘I practise Ashtanga yoga [often early in the morning] between 3 and 4 times per week, with sessions ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on my schedule.’

2. Strength training is her priority

‘My understanding of strength training has evolved significantly, and building and maintaining muscle is now one of my biggest priorities,’ says Meera. ‘Muscle supports healthy ageing, reduces the risk of osteoporosis, improves metabolic health and helps me stay strong and independent.’

‘I strength train around 4 times per week on average – some weeks it might be 3 sessions and other weeks it may be 5, but 4 is usually my baseline,’ she adds. ‘I generally train in the afternoon when I’ve had enough food and energy to perform well.’

Meera splits her strength sessions into push, pull, upper- and lower-body days, and focuses primarily on compound movements – exercises that recruit multiple muscle groups, such as deadlifts and squats.

A study published earlier this week involving more than 140,000 participants found that those who consistently performed between 90 minutes and 2 hours of resistance training per week had a 13% lower risk of death from any cause.

3. She doesn’t overdo cardio

While Meera says she doesn’t ‘do excessive cardio’ because preserving muscle mass remains a priority, she still includes it 2 to 3 times per week.

That might mean walking, StairMaster sessions, interval training on a bike or SkiErg, or shorter bursts of higher-intensity work.

The same study found that the lowest risk of death from any cause was generally observed among participants who combined aerobic exercise with strength training.

4. She prioritises recovery

Alongside strength and cardio work, Meera says she prioritises ‘recovery through mobility work, stretching, foam rolling and good sleep habits’.

Proper fuelling is crucial too.

‘I eat far more than I used to and have a much better understanding of protein, carbohydrates and fats,’ she says. ‘Rather than restricting food, I now focus on nourishing my body properly so it can perform and recover.’

‘Finding the right balance between strength training, cardiovascular fitness, nutrition, mobility, mindfulness and recovery has been life-changing,’ she adds.

Her advice for women who don’t know where to start?

‘The biggest mistake I see is women trying to do everything themselves by piecing together information from social media and expecting rapid results. Strength training is a skill and there’s real value in learning it properly,’ she says.

‘My first recommendation would be to seek support from a qualified coach or personal trainer, even if only for a short period.

‘Secondly, be patient – your body needs time to adapt. The person you are in week 1 will be very different from the person you are in week 10 if you stay consistent.

‘Finally, just start – whether that’s bodyweight exercises at home, a pair of dumbbells, or simply standing up and sitting down repeatedly from a chair. 5 minutes a day is infinitely better than doing nothing.’

One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women’s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan – created exclusively for Women’s Health COLLECTIVE members – you’ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.

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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.