Gardening Grief Relief

Playing in the dirt doesn't have to be a pain (Photo courtesy of stock.xchng)

Ah, spring.

The warm sun.

Buds on the trees.

And aching knees.

Gardening is a fun, rewarding and calorie-blasting activity.  According to My Calorie Counter, an average 150lb person burns 273 calories for every hour of general lawn and garden work. And no other form of exercise gives yields such nutritious and delicious results!

Still, gardening can be a real pain in the neck. And shoulders, and back, and hands, and knees—well you get the idea.  Here’s how a few ways to avoid all that gardening grief:

• Kneel or squat, don’t bend. Many gardeners look like the wrong end of an evolutionary chart: on the far end you see farmers in air-conditioned tractors and combines, on the other end there’s you, hunched over with a hand trowel.  Grab an old throw pillow and get on your knees.  If your knees and thighs can handle it, many cultures find comfort in a deep squat.  If you must bend over, stick out your behind and bend from the waist to avoid lower back strain.
• Consider long-handled tools. For some folks getting down close to the earth is an essential ingredient to gardening, but it’s also the source of our greatest misery.  If you’re aching from bending or kneeling, perhaps it’s time to stand up.  Most gardening tasks, after the seeds and plants are in the ground, can be performed while upright.  I promise, just a sturdy D-handled spade and two-pronged weeding hoe will be worth their weight in Epsom salts.
• Get help from the little people. No, not leprechauns, though I’m sure they have green thumbs.  Gardening doesn’t need to be a solitary endeavor, and younger generations need to learn some of your earthly wisdom. Best of all, you’ll benefit from their tireless energy and low centers of gravity; it’s a win-win situation!
• Train like a pro. Just because you don’t do your gardening in your gym doesn’t mean that a little time in the gym won’t help your gardening.  Simple, classic strength building exercises like pushups, situps and squats can help prevent most muscle related gardening injuries.
• All you need is glove. Many gardeners use gloves that are too large and too stiff, resulting in sore hands and blisters.  Simple, tight fitting nitrile gloves are inexpensive, don’t slip their grip, and keep blisters at bay.
• Stretch it out. In one simple series of motions, you can stretch your shoulders, forearms, back and neck:
  • Stand tall with your head up and chest lifted slightly.
  • Tightly clasp your hands behind your back.
  • Squeeze your shoulder blades together, twist your elbows to point away from your body, and bend your clasped hands at your wrists; this stretches the front of your shoulders, your biceps and your forearms.
  • Keeping your hands clasped, bend forward at the waist and reach your hands to the sky; this stretches the tops of your shoulders and your entire back.
  • Slowly return to standing and gently stretch your neck by tilting first left and right, then look down and up.

I hope these simple tips will help you painlessly grow your prize-winning tomatoes, but ultimately each one of us must find what works best for our individual bodies and personalities. What works best for you?  How do you stay pain-free in the garden?