Written by Emily Morgan
Article
Exercise
The weather is getting warmer and the days are getting longer. Summer is just around the corner and many of you may be dusting off your gloves and trowel to get down and dirty in the garden! This is the time of year where hours are spent raking, mulching, pruning, planting, weeding and picking up sticks! If you have any hesitation to enjoy gardening because of not-so-fond memories of aches from last year’s digging & planting here are a few simple ideas how to prepare your body for pain-free gardening enjoyment and a summer enjoying veggies & flowers.
Warm-up & Gentle Stretching Prior to Activity
This advice goes for any activity that is outside of your normal daily activities! Warm-up with a quick walk or some light raking. Try a quick youtube or google search that caters to your situation such as “full body mobility for beginners,” or “gentle mobility stretching for knee/hip/back pain,” etc, in order to better prepare your muscles and joints for some hard work. Here are some other suggestions:
- Low lunges
- Low lunge with a twist
- Wrist Extensor & Flexor Stretches
- Shoulder Shrugs & Neck Stretches
- Hand Stretches
Knee Pads/ Kneeling Devices
There are plenty of products on the market that are readily available at gardening and online stores in order to provide cushioning for prolonged kneeling. You can also try gardening from a half-kneeling position and switch sides every 5-10 minutes in order to decrease time spent on each knee.
Posture
Correct posture is as important in the garden as it is at your desk. Along with kneeling prolonged bent-over positioning allows for shear forces to the spine. Try to remember to keep your head in a neutral positioning (shoulders away from the ears, head over shoulders, chin tucked in), as well as keeping your back straight. It’s helpful to hinge from your hips and never from your low back when bending over, keeping your chest up tall will help with this!
Take breaks
Listen to your body! If you’re experiencing pain…relax, hydrate, and you can even apply ice in order to help with any discomfort or soreness. Continue using rest breaks in order to tolerate activity, but if pain starts to worsen, maybe it’s time to call it a day and you can continue the hard work on the next sunny day!
Gardening is a great way to get some physical activity while enjoying fresh air & sunshine and it lightens your mood! So get out there, get dirty and then sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.