How proud are you of your garden?
A garden that is blooming in the Spring and Summer months can really fire up our feel-good vibes. Many of us get so overwhelmed with our professional and personal responsibilities that we can accidentally neglect gardening duties. With the weather looking brighter, no-one wants to see weeds and overgrown bushes blocking the sunshine!
Now is a fantastic time to get your tools out and breathe some life into your garden. Not only can regular gardening reduce mental health problems like depression and anxiety, but it can also reduce stress and combat high blood pressure, as well as improve your overall physical fitness. With that being said, around 87,000 people are injured whilst they’re gardening or carrying out DIY jobs in the garden.
These tips will help you to prevent incurring an injury.
Always warm up
In the same way you’d warm up before an exercise session, do the same before you garden.
Wrist Circles and Shakes: circle both wrists clockwise for 15 seconds and anticlockwise. Then shake both wrists out for 15 seconds
Arm Circles: circle both arms forwards for 15 seconds, backwards for 15 seconds, clockwise for 15 seconds and anticlockwise for 15 seconds.
Shoulder Shrugs: raise your shoulders up towards your ears, hold for the count of 3 seconds and drop down. Repeat 3 times.
Torso rotation: keeping your pelvis and hips facing forwards, and rotate slowly through the torso firstly to the right and hold for 2 seconds, before rotating to the left. Repeat 5 times each side. Be sure to rotate to the point where it feels comfortable.
Prepare your tools
Try to keep everything you need to perform your gardening duties within arm’s reach. Continuously overreaching will lead to you straining or pulling a muscle which is the last thing you want or need. It is also advisable to place something soft beneath your knees if you are going to be kneeling for long periods of time.
Take extra care
If you know you have a history of back pain, be mindful about the weight you choose to lift. Always ensure you can definitely lift it alone. If you can lift the item by yourself, bend your hips and knees to squat down to the item, always keep the object close to your body, and straighten your legs as you come up to help take the weight of what you’re lifting.
Change positions
Just like when you’re sitting at a desk for lengthy periods of time, make sure you’re taking regular breaks whilst you’re gardening. Changing your activity or pausing the activity you’re working on approximately every 20 minutes will help to reduce the strain on the particular group of muscles you’re using to perform your activity. It’s a great idea to walk around for a few minutes between each job and to stretch out your body.
Drink plenty of fluids
Dehydration contributes to muscle fatigue, which can increase the risk of injury. This is why staying adequately hydrated is so important. It can help reduce muscle fatigue and reduce the risk of injury.
Ask for help
If you do begin to feel tired, stopping the tasks you are performing is crucial. It is advisable to ask someone for help with your gardening, especially if you have a big job on your hands. Not only will this help you to avoid fatigue, and stop you from trying to lift items that are too heavy for you, it’s always a fantastic way to socialise and make the task of gardening fun.
If you do incur an injury whilst you are gardening, please get in touch to book in your complimentary consultation at the Enfield Osteopathic Clinic.
We will be able to assess your body and provide you with exercises you can incorporate into your everyday life. We will work together to ensure you can get back to enjoying your gardening as well as the sunshine.
