Extend Your Gardening Abilities
by Kristi St. Peter, OTR/L, Professional Home Nursing
With the warmer weather coming upon us, some
are getting the gardening itch. You may have experienced a
decline in your health over the past year and feel discouraged
about the sense of loss over a loved activity. There are
ways to continue gardening activities using a few different
approaches.
Our body is our machine, we need to take care of it.
Before any gardening is started, it is important to take time
to stretch your body first.
•Slowly stretch the legs and lower back.
•Change positions often and change the activity.
After 15 minutes of weeding, stand up, stretch, and change
to a different activity ie: prune or rest.
•Whatever you are doing, try to keep your spine as
straight as possible.
Here are some tips that may help keep you active and
involved in enjoying the bounty and beauty nature has to
offer:
•Make raised beds to eliminate the need to bend.
•Use gardening stools that reverse into kneelers with
handles to help get to a standing position.
•Bring a cordless or cellular phone with you in case
of an incident where you may need to call for help.
•Work earlier in the morning and wear a brimmed
hat to beat the heat and avoid sunburn or heat stroke.
•Drink lots of fluids to replenish what you may
sweat out.
•Use sunscreen, even if it is early in the morning.
•Wear a face mask when using chemicals to help
protect your lungs.
•Rather than making a traditional garden, use
large and medium pots to garden from a porch for easier
accessibility.
•Sit to work when possible to allow more enjoyment
with the activity versus exhausting yourself. (There is no
shame in having a chair placed near the garden to rest and
have a drink of water.)
•Use tools that use your entire arm, not just your
wrist and fingers. However, if gardening in small areas,
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shorter tools are more helpful.
•Sit on a wagon when weeding.
•Use trellises to grow plants and vegetables vertically.
•Consider using a wheelbarrow with two wheels. It
helps balance and drive the load with greater ease.
•Use gardening tools with foam grip handles or
those specifically designed for people with arthritis.
Following these tips will allow you to enjoy gardening for
years to come.
Health & Happiness,
Kristi St.Peter, OTR/L