How to do Garden Chores Correctly
The first thing is to make sure that you take breaks, walk around and stretch throughout the time you are gardening! The old adage of “Stop and smell the roses (or daylilies and iris)” is important to take heed of so that you don’t over stress your muscles or joints.
When you start lifting things, you should remember these rules:
- Face the thing you are picking up.
- Bend at the knees to pick things up.
- Keep things close to your body, near your center of gravity.
When weeding you should:
- Either weed on your knees or bend over with a hand or arm on one thigh.
- Don’t over reach and twist.
When digging, shoveling, or raking you should:
- Use the correct size shovel/tool for your size (women should typically use smaller tools—I personally use a ditching shovel for all my planting and transplanting chores).
- Alternate sides you are shoveling or raking from—yes, this takes some getting used to.
- Try not to twist too much.
- Use more legs than back.