Pleasurable, Painless Gardening!
Maintaining a flourishing, healthy garden can be an enjoyable and rewarding passtime. Unfortunately, the aches and pains following a day in the yard can diminish the pleasure of your hard work. Maintaining a healthy, pain free body is essential to keep you in the yard all season long. Fortunately, with some preparation and helpful tools and tips you can reduce your risk of aches and injuries.
Get Equipped
Ergonomic tools have come a long way and allow you to do more in your garden with less effort and risk of injury. Properly designed and fitted tools will reduce your risk of repetitive stress injury.
Shop around and test different models until you find the right fit for you. Look at different weight, handle size and length and consider what you need the tool to do. A thick handle may feel more comfortable, but if used for a long time a larger grip will tire your hands quickly. Shorter tools give you more control and leverage, while telescopic tools can extend your reach or reduce the need to bend. This will prevent unnecessary twisting, stretching and straining.
You may already have helpful 'tools' lying around the shed. A tarp, wagon, or snow sled can be used to move rocks, dirt, supplies and other items with less lifting. Just load it up and pull. Knee pads or a cushion give added protection while kneeling. Dig around and see what you can find!
Get Warmed Up
Although gardening is a relaxing pastime, it can be physically demanding. Lifting, digging and pulling all day gives your muscles an excellent work out. But before you begin, warm up your body to enable fluid joint movements and loosen muscles. This will help to minimize wear and tear and your risk of injury.
As we get older, warming up is extremely important because muscles, tendons, and joints become less elastic. Begin your warm up slowly and only perform activities that are appropriate for your fitness level. Take a short walk, bike or do some arm circles to get the blood pumping. Then, gently stretch the muscles in your neck, shoulders, back, legs, and arms to prepare them for work. Talk to your doctor to determine a warm up and activity level that is recommended for you.
Using an Inferno Wrap® on previously painful joints or muscles is a great way to target blood flow to sensitive areas that may need more attention to prevent further injury and pain.
Your Painless Gardening Checklist
Start out slowly. Let your body remember the motions of gardening.- Vary your tasks frequently to allow muscles and joints to rest.
- Avoid excessive bending, twisting, kneeling, reaching, or leaning.
- Be aware of proper posture when lifting, crouching and kneeling.
- Take frequent breaks during the day.
- Drink plenty of water to rehydrate your body and to feel more alert.
- Stop gardening if you feel pain in your joints or muscles.
- At the end of the day, treat your back, neck, knees and other overused body parts with a Freezie Wrap®. This will calm irritation, prevent morning pain, and reduce the risk of repetitive stress injuries.
Take Care of Your Garden and Your Body!
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MendMeShop Products
At MendMeShop we are here for you! Our sites provide you with valuable information to help you understand the source of your pain and what you can do to help yourself heal. MendMeShop's Professional Therapeutic kits provide you with the necessary tools to reduce the pain of your injuries whilst dramatically speeding your healing.
