Spruce up yard, and your body too
By Susan Skorupa
Gannett News Service
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Bending, digging, planting, carrying, weeding, pruning, raking and mowing — all these chores can do more than just jazz up your garden and improve your yard.
They also can help trim and strengthen your body.
"When you look at the calorie use of many different gardening (activities), you will be surprised at just how high they are," said Bunny Guinness, co-author with Jacqueline Knox of "Garden Your Way to Health and Fitness" (Timber Press).
"If you spend about three hours doing some weeding, lawn mowing, raking, etc., you will probably use the same amount of calories as in an hour's strenuous gym session," Guinness said in an e-mail interview.
Start yard work with some preparation, such as a stroll through the yard or the neighborhood as a warm-up for cold muscles, suggests Amy Yazinka, owner of Fitness on the Go in Reno, Nev., and a certified personal trainer for the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
"I personally don't say you have to stretch before you work out," she said. "But maybe walk around your yard for a few minutes and look at what you're going to do. That gets your body a little warmed up. Or walk around your neighborhood and get ideas from others."
For some specific gardening-related moves, Yazinka suggested:
"That gets major muscle groups," Yazinka says. "There are many other things you can do; this is a quick start."
Guinness' prep work includes a walk around her garden to see which plants are ready to bloom and which vegetables need harvesting. She stretches when she's finished, when her muscles are warm and pliable.
"It significantly helps stop them 'complaining' afterwards," says Guinness, who lives in England.
As with any physical activity, take care of yourself, says Dennis Fitzpatrick, owner of Vibrant Fitness in Reno. "Sun protection is No. 1," he says. "Keep yourself from getting burned."
If you're digging or doing any work that requires kneeling or squatting, take frequent breaks.
"Knee pads are a very cheap investment, three or four bucks," Fitzpatrick says. "Stools to sit on are a good investment so you're not on your hands and knees."
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, Fitzpatrick says.
"A lot of people get involved out there all day," he says of gardeners and yard workers. "I have clients who stay in shape who work in the yard all day, and the next day they can hardly move.
"Work a couple of hours, then go in, rest, drink water, do something else, then go back out for an hour or so."
Breaking up yard work and gardening into segments of 20 minutes or so, separated by brief rests, can result in more work getting done, Fitzpatrick says.
"Doing it in 20-minute segments you're going to get more done because you're more productive when you get back out there," he says.
Lifting heavy pots, turning compost and doing heavy digging probably cause the most injuries to gardeners, Guinness says.
"When you lift, squatting down to pick the pot or whatever up — as opposed to bending your back — is important," she says. "Then lift yourself up slowly and steadily with the plant, keeping the pot close to your tummy.
When raking, hoeing, digging or performing other repetitive chores, try to use both sides of the body, working 15 minutes each side, to prevent injury.
