Healthy Tips to Garden with Fewer Aches and Pains

It's summer, and the gardening season is in full swing. It is the season for tending your garden through mowing, weeding, planting, edging, mulching, pruning, and harvesting vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs. In addition to tending, perhaps you are creating new garden beds or renovating established ones. 

These are all physically demanding tasks that can often put a strain on a gardener's body. Here are some tips to keep you healthy as you get down and dirty.

Lift Properly and Within Your Limits

Protect your back. Lower back muscles are intended to keep us upright. They are postural muscles and are not designed to lift heavy loads. The thigh, buttock, and lower abdominal muscles are primarily for lifting. Consider that the purpose of your arms and back is just to make the connection between the load and your abdominal, hip, and leg muscles as you lift and move the load.

Lifting a 10-pound load incorrectly can actually put 100 pounds of pressure on your lower back. Lifting heavy loads can strain your neck and shoulders as well as your lower back.

To lift safely, hinge at your hips, bend your knees, and lean forward, keeping the lower back straight. Do not bend and flex your trunk forward. Hold the load close to your body as you lift and stand. Pivot your feet and don't twist your back. Keep items close to your body when lifting and carrying. Keep your lower stomach muscles firm while lifting and performing garden tasks. If necessary, lift the load to a halfway point, such as a chair or bench, and reposition the load closer to your waist.

Know your limits. Test the weight of the load before lifting. Slide heavy bags to the edge of the car trunk into a wheelbarrow, cart, or dolly, and then wheel the bags to their final destination. Push rather than pull if possible. Lift the handles of a wheelbarrow to elbow height.

Open large bags of soil or mulch and transfer to smaller containers.

Plan ahead and remove obstacles to make your path safe.

Position Yourself Correctly

Shoveling can often be considered just a different form of lifting! When shoveling, keep your hands widely separated for good leverage. Bend at the hips and knees, not at the waist. Keep the shovel close to your body and use your legs to lift the load. Do not twist and throw the load. Avoid rotating your trunk. Instead, pivot and move your feet in the same direction as the load.

When raking, use shorter motions to avoid twisting at your trunk.

Other risk factors associated with back injuries include prolonged or awkward postures, including bending and twisting. "Prolonged" generally means holding a position for more than 10 minutes. Avoid prolonged bending over because it fatigues the lower back muscles. Instead, bend your knees, squat or half-kneel, and switch legs often. Alternatively, sit on a bench. Or half lunge forward, making sure your knee does not go past your ankle, using your back leg for balance.

Avoid prolonged kneeling because it is also hard on your knees and hamstrings.  A variety of kneeler devices are available to decrease knee pain and assist you with getting up and down from the ground. After kneeling, stand, walk around, and stretch your legs and back.

Use the Right Tool in the Right Way

Use the right tool for the task. Hand trowels are perfect for planting smaller perennials but reach for a spade or digging fork when tackling established or larger plants.

Many gardeners are guilty of using whatever tool they have at hand to prune, often selecting a tool that is too small for the cut they need to make. Hand pruners should be used for branches up to ¾ inch in diameter. Loppers give gardeners increased reach and leverage, but are meant for branches no larger than 1¾ inches in diameter. Hand saws are best for branches 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Branches more than 3 inches thick are best cut with power tools.

Maintain your tools. Sharp, well-oiled tools require a lot less energy and create less strain on your body.

Your equipment should fit your size, build, and capabilities. Avoid tools that are too heavy. Be mindful of the length of the rake or shovel. Longer handles can ease back strain. Handles that are too short can cause bending forward excessively, causing back strain. Quality tools are available in the proper size for shorter gardeners.

Enlarged handles or cushioned grips can be helpful for those with arthritic hands. Ergonomically designed tools have become widely available and can minimize aggravation of arthritic wrists or shoulders.

Raised beds have become popular for many good reasons. Think of them as another appropriate tool. Gardeners with physical limitations can continue to enjoy gardening. Mid-length handled tools are available for reaching across beds while sitting or standing. Raised beds are useful for those gardening in small spaces.

When mowing grass, adjust the mower handle to mid-waist height. Push rather pull the mower. This allows you to use your more powerful and larger leg muscles instead of your arms and upper body.

Lightweight wheelbarrows are easier to lift and maneuver because of their design. When the wheel is in the front, the weight is over the wheel and is, therefore, less work for you to lift and move. Get close to the load and lift, to elbow height, with your legs instead of your upper body and back. A lightweight cart with wheels in the back can be awkward to lift and heavy to move.

Irrigation systems are a type of tool and can be worth the investment, especially for vegetable plots or newly planted areas. These systems can provide the slow, deep watering that plants require without the gardener needing to lug heavy watering cans.

Don't Overuse

Avoid overuse injuries.

Excessive weeding or trimming with hand pruners or snips can lead to tendonitis of the wrist or elbow.

Excessive raking can lead to discomfort in the upper back, lower back, shoulders, and neck.

Avoid repetitive motions by switching tasks and positions often. Heading out to plant an entire bed in one day can be back-breaking work. Mix in some other activities to give your back a rest.

Avoid prolonged kneeling when planting multiple plants at one time. Instead, break the project up into multiple stages. First, prepare the plants by taking them out of their pots and loosening the roots while sitting or standing at the table or potting bench. Then, loosen the soil in the planting area with a shovel or digging fork while standing. Finally, get down and quickly settle into the plants with a hand trowel.

Consider that a few hours of gardening spread out over the week can result in fewer sore muscles and aching backs. Thus, it can often be even more productive than one long, full day of gardening.  

Gardeners with limited time and small windows of perfect weather may have to resort to some degree of overuse. We have all been guilty of that. Just remember to lift properly, break your tasks up, position your body properly, and use the right tool for the right job in the right way. And, remember to take breaks every now and then to enjoy your garden with a cool beverage of choice and a nice, comfortable seat in the shade.