Does gardening make you a little crazy? Is it your practice to go forth with
gusto to make your mark on that yard, sometimes at the expense of your most
valuable gardening tool--your body?
There is a way to make this a winning season in your one-on-one with Mother
Earth. Here’s a hint from trainer Barbara Pearlman, (Gardener's Fitness:
Weeding Out the Aches and Pains):
“I approach gardening as an active, contact sport that needs a certain
amount of preseason conditioning as well as fitness savvy during the
gardening season.”
If gardening is your sport of choice, why not borrow some body
know-how from the exercise specialists?
Pregame
Warmed-up joints and muscles are less prone to injury in the heat of
zealous gardening. One best way to warm up: surf your turf. Move
casually over your landscape setting priorities, gently rehearsing with here a
crouch, there a stretch. Start with the most undemanding chores and build.
Form
…is everything; not just so you’ll look pretty, but because wrong
movement leads to wasted effort and increased injuries. Smart moves to practice:
Enlist the largest muscles possible for the job. Example:
when raking, use legs and hips as much as arms and shoulders.
Change position every 10-15 minutes. (Physiotherapist Judy
Cline: “Our bodies were made to move….joints and muscles dislike maintaining the
same position for an extended period.”)
Garden mindfully. Listen to your body talk; take complaints
seriously; tweak accordingly.
Avoid “stupid stooping.” Dilemma: you want to save your back,
but maturity makes “grasshopper” knee bends an orthopedic risk. Solution: move
in close to your work by pulling up a low stool, getting down on one knee or all
fours, sitting on the ground.
Pay attention to feet and legs: adjust stance for a firm
base, get some flex in your knees, switch forward foot with back foot
periodically.
Excessive twisting is taboo; face your work squarely.
Tighten abdominals before lifting.
Pacing
Mildly stressing the body in the garden is not a bad
thing. Athletes grow strong by alternating stress and rest. Expertise lies in
discerning the fine line between use and overuse. To master this art:
- Faithfully observe rest, water, snack breaks.
- Begin humbly, build gradually to full days in the garden.
- Alternate gardening days with non-gardening days.
Post-Game
Best time for stretching is after the gardening session. Keep blue gelpacks in your freezer. They are THE frontline
defense against swelling in sore joints and muscles.
Bottom Line
Ready for Xtreme Gardening? Jeff Restuccio’s Fitness the
Dynamic Gardening Way makes yard work a sweat-fest, asks what the garden
can do for you rather than what you owe the garden. Focus is on the workout;
when you get tired, stop.
“We’re not Martha Stewart here….If I’m going to get stressed out because my
yard still has three weeds, I’m missing the gardening experience.”
“The overused and abused body is about as much fun as a rusty pair of
hedge trimmers.” --Anonymous