It may be hard to believe because of the challenging weather conditions we’ve experienced this winter but as I write this article spring is only 50 days away! It’s important to remember that you not only have to start preparing your spring garden plans now but you should also be thinking about preparing your body too! All of the bending, kneeling and lifting gardeners do, especially in the beginning of the season, can take a toll on our bodies. However, there are things we can start doing now that may lessen or even avoid some of the aches and pains later.
Spring gardening tasks cause us to use a variety of muscles and joints. The muscles in your legs, arms and back carry a heavy burden and getting them in “garden shape” is something you can do right now! Exercise is a great way to strengthen your muscles and stretching will improve your flexibility. Both of these activities can help avoid strains and prolonged stiffness and pain that come with garden chores. Some good exercises are walking, jumping jacks and jumping rope. These can get your muscles warmed up and you can then proceed to stretching. Yoga is a great stretching exercise and something you can easily do in your home!
While exercise and stretching are important ways to prepare your body for spring gardening there are also things you can do once the season arrives to help avoid injuries and minimize soreness. When spring arrives we’re all ready to dive right in to our gardening to-do list but you want to make sure you don’t try to do too much too soon. I’m sure many of you have made the same mistake I have and overdone it the first weekend that you can really work outdoors. Now I try to do a little planning first and break that to-do list down into smaller chunks. I also make sure that I rest enough between tasks so that my muscles don’t become fatigued which is a sure fire way to injure yourself.
Another thing to keep in mind is just because it may not be warm in your part of the country doesn’t mean you shouldn’t drink plenty of water. Dehydration can occur even in cooler temperatures. Most doctors recommend that you drink six 8 ounce glasses of water a day so keep your water bottle handy and drink frequently while you are working. I find that keeping hydrated gives me energy to complete my tasks which is another reason to drink up!
Finally, before you tackle any project make sure you have the right tools! It is easy to use the wrong tool for a job and the next thing you know you’ve hurt yourself. I remember using a pair of loppers on a thick tree branch where a saw would have been a better tool. I ended up pulling a chest muscle which took months to properly heal. Get your body ready for spring now and you’ll enjoy the season a whole lot more!
