- Gardening is an activity that is more demanding than you might think. Many gardeners spend hours working with few or no breaks in often awkward postures and are often not in proper physical condition. As a result, there is a significant chance people can injure themselves tending to their gardens. Libby Norris presents some tips and exercises to ensure injury-free gardening.
Key areas:
- Strength - low back, middle back, glutes, core, arms
- Flexibility - chest and back, shoulders, hamstrings, hip flexors
Gardening Essentials to keep close by:
1. Timer
2. Water
3. Kneeling pad or towel
Set a timer - Every 20 minutes:
- Take 3-5 sips of water - to avoid dehydration
- Do one of the stretches outlined or at least get up and move around - to avoid sustained awkward posture
Stretching:
- Aim for "ah" instead of "ow"
- "reverse posture" - do the opposite of the position you've been in while planting - every 20-minute break
- Scenario #1 - When you've been squatting - stand
- Scenario #2 - If you've been bent over forward - lean back
- Scenario #3 - If you've been reaching forward working - open up the chest and reach your arms back
Home conditioning for the season:
Exercise
Planter's Squats
Action
Start - stand beside a chair with one hand on the back for balance
Action - squat down and up, sitting back over the heels
Focus
Keep your weight on your heels throughout the whole range of motion to help recruit muscles in glutes
Exercise
Horticultural Hinges
Action
Start - stand beside a chair with one leg and balance using the chair back
Action - keep torso long, bend from the hip to a 25-40� angle (as though you were reaching over a table)
Change sides and repeat
Focus
Keep your weight anchored on your heel - particularly when you lift up - which helps to recruit muscles in your glutes
Keep your torso long and avoid any rounding through the back
Exercise
Weeding Rows
Action
Start - stand beside a chair bent over from the hip to a 25-40� angle with one foot forward, one foot back (split stance)
Action - draw elbow and arm up and down
Change sides and repeat
Focus
Squeeze shoulder blades first and use the back to initiate the action
Keep the torso long and avoid any rounding through the back
Exercise
Raking Rotations
Action
Start - stand with feet hip distance holding a weight - db, laundry bottle or book - with arms directly out in front of your chest
Action - rotate from side to side in a controlled motion
Focus
Keep arms out straight so that you move through the range of motion
Exercise
Post Gardening Stretches
Hold all stretches for 10-30 seconds repeating 1-3 times each
- Back Arch - stand with hands behind the small of your back and lean back to a comfortable stretch
- Shoulder Stretch - take one arm across your chest with your palm facing in and pulling gently with the other hand
- Chest Stretch - take both hands behind the head and open elbows back to a comfortable stretch
- Hamstring Stretches - take one foot up on a step or low chair; bend the base leg and lean forward from the hip (keeping torso long) until you feel a comfortable stretch
- Hip Flexor Stretch - take one toe up on a step behind you; balance on the other leg bending that knee slightly, pull your back hip forward to a comfortable strength lengthening across the hip
- Neck Stretch - reach behind your back with your right arm to grab the left wrist; pull gently down and then drop your head to the right; repeat to the other side
General facts:
- Doing basic gardening tasks such as weeding, trimming and raking can burn up to 300 calories per hour.
- A kneeling pad is great to protect the knees. To make your own kneeling pad, fill a plastic bag (from a loaf of bread, for instance) with carpet padding or carpet scraps.
- Use gloves with rubber palms. They allow your arms and shoulders to work with less strain because they provide a firm grip. Rubber kitchen gloves will also work, but because these gloves are made entirely of rubber, they cause hands to sweat and prevent air from getting inside.
- Balance before you begin. Stretch first to open up and increase awareness of your posture before you start. Do some simple streches to lengthen the muscles from head to toe.
- Visual reminders - Set out a resin chair in the area in which you will be working. Take five-minute breaks every now and again by sitting down in the chair. Walk away from the task every 15-20 minutes once you begin to tire.
- Visual reminders - Take a kitchen time outside and set it for 15-20 minute intervals. Once the timer goes off, take a break and do some stretches or a separate task that uses a different set of muscles. Eventually this will become habit, allowing for the removal of the timer and the visual chair reminder.
- Always bend from the hip joint, not directly from the waist. It is located approximately 10 inches below the waist. Bending from the waist can cause back strain.
