Gardening is hard work and can use every muscle in your body when you bend to weed, carry pots, lift soil bags and using rakes and hoes. Stretching those muscles before starting can save you from a strained and sore back and legs. Slow and gentle stretches of the back of your legs, arms, back and shoulders will help to loosen up before you even pick up a tool. If you feel pain when stretching don’t force it so hard. You should feel the muscles pull slightly without pain. Taking time out to stretch throughout the day will also help your muscles stay loose and prevent straining.

Pace yourself when doing a job and taking breaks throughout the day to rest also helps. This one is hard for me since I think I have so much to do to be sitting around but I’ve come to realize this as a time look at the garden and enjoy all the work I’ve done. Along with taking breaks, I change jobs after an hour or so to keep from overstressing my muscles and joints. This is another one that’s difficult for me because I want to finish every job, but those chores will still be there later in the day or even tomorrow.

Concentrating on how you’re doing things may lead you to change your ways after realizing you’re actually harming your body. For instance, lift correctly by bending at your knees and keep your back straight. Don’t bend at the waist, don’t lock your arms when lifting, or twist while lifting because you can hurt yourself badly enough that you won’t be able to do much of anything let alone garden for awhile. When carrying heavy objects, use your arms and hands instead of gripping with only your fingers. Try not to use pinching, squeezing and twisting hand motions that are hard on your fingers and wrists. Cut bags of soil with a scissors instead of tearing them open with your fingers and wear gloves when you can. I don’t use gloves as often as I should and my hands show it with not only calluses and rough skin but broken finger nails and hundreds of scraps and cuts.

When applying chemicals such as fertilizer, insecticides and weed killers make sure you wear gloves, long pants and good shoes so you won’t have contact with your skin. Wear long pants and good shoes when using weedwackers and push mowers to protect your legs from flying objects.  Of course using sunscreen is a must. The sun can do some major damage on my lily-white skin and I’m not crazy about the pain of a sunburn.

Simplifying your chores sounds like common sense but we don’t always do it. Apply mulch to help reduce watering and weeding. Put in a drip irrigation system so you won’t have to drag hoses around the yard. I did this last year and watering became a dream instead of a nightmare plus it was done more regularly.  Change the shape of your beds and borders so mowing and trimming are easier. Sweeping curves that your mower can go around can eliminate trimming all together. If you are unable to work at ground level or getting up and down is difficult consider raised beds or container gardening. Instead of kneeling on the ground use a kneeling pad or sit on a stool. Use tools with long handles to reduce bending and wrap the handles with foam padding to help with the grip. Probably the most important is to ask for help with jobs you know are too much for you. Don’t lift that 50 pound bag of soil or prune overhead branches if you are not able.

I still end up with an achy body once in a while but with a few changes in my way of doing things I’m finding that it’s not everyday!!  Stay safe this spring and See Ya in the Garden!!

I still end up with an achy body once in a while but with a few changes in my way of doing things I’m finding that it’s not everyday!!  Stay safe this spring and See Ya in the Garden!!