Stretching for Gardeners

Stretching for Gardeners

Golfers and softball players are notorious for not warming up before they go out for a game.

Gardeners belong on this list as well. Before you dive down into your spring flower beds to yank weeds or spread mulch, take a few minutes to ready your awakening body for the work out.

Prevent a pulled muscle or injured back by stretching your muscles in the following ways:

Roll your head from side to side, front to back, and around. Shrug your shoulders up and down. Gently bend forward toward the back of a chair that is facing away from you. This will stretch the hamstring muscles. Use your legs, rather than back, to support heavy lifting such as pails, bags, and heavy tools. Stretch your hands and fingers apart straight, then tap each finger to the thumb.

Wear supportive shoes in the garden, as they will also protect from fire ants and other pests that may lurk in the weeds. Garden gloves give extra support and act as a skin guard. Use a knee pad easily made from strips of newspaper, woven tightly, then covered with a plastic bag. This will save your “aching back” when planting and minimize the time bending forward. Don’t overdo it, and limit your outside work until you have built up garden stamina. Dirt gardeners at Weymouth are gently reminded that they have done quite enough after about 90 minutes, as they can easily overdo it and end up with days or weeks of recovery time for those vulnerable tendons and muscles.

Take the Senior Enrichment Center course in Stretching, (call for the most recent schedule) it is fabulous. Other references include: Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor, U of Vermont Dept of Plant and Soil Science and Barbara Pearlman’s Gardener Fitness, Weeding Out the Aches and Pains(Taylor Trade Publishing).