Hi Everyone!
Clearly, gardening can be very good for you, providing both excellent healthy exercise and relaxation.There are also hazards in this activity many of which are not always quite so clear.
Watch Your Back When Doing Gardening Tasks
When considering doing work in the garden you should remember the importance protecting your back. Here,body position and form are key.When you use the wrong posture, whether gardening or performing any other labour-intensive task, it may not take long before backache develops. Performing work in this way over extended periods of time can lead to serious back problems. So here are some pointers to keep in mind when gardening so as to minimise unnecessary stress to your back.
Stop Kneeling and Bending
Avoid constantly bending and kneeling down while weeding and digging in flower borders. Tools like a garden twist and tiller allow you to properly aerate and dig up the dirt without having to bend over. Try using a good quality wide handled tool sufficiently long to work with comfortably for your height, with a sturdy stepping plate for your foot. This allows your body weight and hands to do the work rather than your back.
Stretch Before You Get Started
To prepare for garden work and to minimise back pain, try taking a short brisk walk, followed by some simple stretching exercises while standing. Make sure you are properly hydrated before stretching, and take on water while you are gardening.
Take a Seat
A reversible portable combined garden seat and kneeler will allow you sit or kneel while you work rather than stand and bend.The less you have to bend, the lower the risk of suffering backache, pains and strains. Gardening seats/kneelers are available in a range of prices to suit your budget.
Position and Proper Form
When raking, keep your head up and your back as straight as possible. Use a scissors stance, one foot forward and the other back, reversing every couple of minutes. If you must bend, don’t do so at the waist. When picking up piles of leaves or weeds, make smaller piles. Bend at your knees rather than bending forward, allowing your legs to do most of the work. When using leaf blowers and other handheld, powered gardening tools, keep them close to your body. Stretching and reaching with your arms puts more pressure on your back.
When mowing grass, if you keep the handlebars closer to your stomach, this will help minimise back pain. Again, try not to bend at the waist, and instead push with your upper body. Proper position and body form make garden work generally more efficient and effortless, and can keep you from experiencing a back injury.Careful gardening will provide a good physical workout burning calories and improving fitness.
Dress for Gardening
In order to protect your hands, feet, knees and elbows, you should think about dressing appropriately before heading to the garden to work.
A check of the weather report will avoid you having to break off to change.
Sunglasses are important to protect your eyesight. Even when looking down away from the sun, sunlight can reflect off lower surfaces and right into your eyes. Aside from momentarily making it hard to see, repeated gardening without proper eye-wear can lead to vision problems later in life.
Speaking of the sun, don’t forget sun protection.Apply appropriate strength lotion, and wear long sleeves and long-legged pants. Intending to spend only a few minutes outside may turn out to be longer leading to painful sunburn. If you go out in the morning planning a full day outside, layer your clothing. This means you can simply remove or add layers as the temperature rises or drops.
Wearing old, comfortable, loose fitting clothing is a must. This allows you to move and bend freely. It also means not getting a nice shirt, skirt or pair of pants dirty. In many gardening situations, a wide-brimmed hat is a great idea. It protects more than just your face, giving your shoulders and neck some relief from the sun.
Buying a pair of gloves specifically made for gardening tasks makes a lot of sense. You limit the chances of getting blisters on your hands, and being cut and scratched. The right type of gardening gloves can also improve your grip on your tools.They will also protect your skin from insects, absorption of fertiliser or weedkiller, soil bacteria in the soil.
As mentioned above, wear a long pair of pants if possible. This protects your legs from cuts and bruises, as well as sunburn and insects. Finally, wear supportive shoes securely fastened to your feet. No flip-flops or other loose-fitting shoes, as they increase your risk of falling. You also want your shoes to have a good gripping tread.