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10 Tips for Healthy Gardening
By Ali Rafie of Midwest Chiropractics
When the weather turns pleasant there can be nothing quite as relaxing as spending time working in our yard or garden. Unfortunately, for many of us, what starts off as a relaxing way to spend an afternoon turns into a mini-health crisis. Gardening has a dark side; it is the cause of many of our muscle spasms, muscle strains and ligament strains. There is no reason to give up your weekend hobby (and your neighbors would still like you to tend to your yard), just follow a few helpful tips to make sure your afternoon working in the garden equals an evening of back and muscle comfort. TIP 1: Just as we warm up before exercising it’s important to warm up before diving into a day of gardening. Warm muscles are less likely to pull or strain so take a brisk walk around the block to prepare them for the day of work. TIP 2: Always cover your exposed skin with the proper SPF sunscreen for your skin type. If it’s sunny or cloudy, any work you do in your yard, for any duration of time, will expose you to the harmful rays of the sun. Protect your skin. TIP 3: Select clothing that gives you freedom of movement. You are about to begin a day of fighting with weeds, uneven shrubbery, and overgrown grass edges; you don’t have time to fight with clothing that doesn’t make you comfortable. TIP 4: Periodically, do back and leg stretches. Every 30 minutes or so, stop what you’re doing and give your legs and back a light stretch. If you wait until your muscle groups already feel tight you risk injury so, take this proactive approach to keep your body loose throughout the day. TIP 5: Alternate your arms while raking or trimming. Why overuse the right arm when you have a perfectly rested left arm that can take over at any time? I’s important to alternate to keep your body in balance and prevent strain to one side of your body. TIP 6: If your day in the yard requires digging be very aware of the proper form: lift with your legs at the same time you are digging. Digging has been responsible for innumerable amount of back and neck strains so make sure you are using your legs and not trying to move too much turf at one time. This method may make the job a little longer, but it will leave you well enough to dig another day. TIP 7: Choose gardening tools that don’t require you to bend unnecessarily. If available, buy tools with extended arms that can eliminate bending from the waist. TIP 8: Take frequent breaks. For every 30 minutes of work you should take a 5 minute break. Walk around, stretch, and drink some water, if necessary reapply your sunscreen. These 5 minutes will assure that you are able to work the next 30 minutes incident free. TIP 9: Never try to move heavy containers without assistance. It is often tempting, when you see something that needs to be moved to try and take on the job yourself. DON’T DO IT. If you don’t ask for help you will surely end up injuring yourself and then you’ll have to ask for help for a lot of things, like walking. TIP 10: Have fun! You get to play outside for the day, enjoy yourself! Check out our wellness blow at www.MidwestChiropractic.com for more health tips. |
http://www.midwestchiropractic.com/blog
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