WISDOM FOR THE SENIOR GARDENER How to stay fit and avoid injury

BY SALLY CUNNINGHAM

Lifting, digging, raking, bending, and walking are all part of gardening. We use and abuse our hands as we weed, prune, and hand-dig. We challenge our knees and hips as we move up and down, carry pails, drag hoses, and pull wheelbarrows. When we were younger, it was much easier.

As a younger gardener, I only stopped when I had to make dinner or attend to other work (and I went back to the garden as soon as I could). Now, my battery runs out; I have to stop. I don’t like it!

It’s time for some guidance, including instruction from a physical therapist, fresh thoughts from a selfproclaimed geriatric gardener, and some old-fashioned common sense.

Get a smart start

Surveys from several garden and landscape groups tell us that one and a half to two million Americans began gardening during the pandemic. Most report that they have continued gardening, even when family life and work returned to some form of normal. The following guidelines work for these new gardeners as well as those who need to change their existing bad gardening habits.

• Warm up before going to the garden (or starting any physical project), every time. Whether your preference is stretching and calisthenics, yoga, Tai Chi, or a gym workout—do it. The idea that “I’ll get enough exercise in the garden” is not helpful. In gardening, you are using many muscles, including some rarely used otherwise, and they all need to be warmed up.

• Start an exercise program well before the season begins. What you do in March will make your hands, knees, and back much better partners in May.

• If it hurts, stop. Gardeners tend to push through discomfort or even pain. If you feel an ache or strain, if you have a cut or bump, do something about it immediately. That choice may make it possible to continue tomorrow.

• Protect yourself. Use sunscreen and wear hats and sunglasses. Wear protective glasses when you are pruning, cutting, fertilizing, or using any products that could do damage. If anything pokes or splashes your eye, wash it thoroughly, or seek medical attention if that doesn’t offer relief. Use ear protection when you are using lawn mowers, chain saws, or any other noisy equipment. Wear gloves and a mask any time you are working with potting mix, soil amendments, or any other products that produce dust or fumes. Finally, drink water often, and remember to eat well.

• Just be careful. Don’t use pruners or chain saws to cut anything above your head. Don’t do work that an arborist should do. Don’t lift more than you should (and you know what is too heavy). Don’t climb ladders on your own.

What the physical therapist taught me

I recently graduated from physical therapy, having approached it with a crooked and painful back. David Manzella (PT, DPT) straightened me out (literally), developed a long-term exercise plan, and taught me a lot about what to do and not to do, especially as a gardener.

In gardening, we do almost all our work bending forward, using arms and hands in front of ourselves.

Sitting, standing, or kneeling, the movement is out front, with the back curved and often not supported.

Manzella advises the following:

• Work on core strength, developing abdominal muscles to support your back. Stop whenever you feel pain.

• Stretch frequently and arch your back often to counter the forward movements. (Particular exercises may apply for individual needs.

• When lifting, keep objects centered and close to your body—no reaching off to the side to pick up a rock or container. Lift with your legs, not your back. To lift weights, such as pails, balance the weight on both sides and keep your spine straight. Rather than push, pull the wheelbarrow or garden cart, with a straight back.

How long we can garden as we once did, and how much we cut back on our projects, are personal choices. Everyone has limitations, whatever our ages and physical conditions. Knowing ourselves— observing and listening to our bodies—is an important life skill.

Our attitudes and priorities are equally important. In the early 1990s, I knew a Master Gardener and rosarian named Steve, who worked in the Delaware Park Rose Garden. As his physical condition deteriorated, causing much pain, he would lie on the ground on his side to reach the roses with his pruners. While I suspect that his wife, doctor, or physical therapist would have advised otherwise, gardening meant that much to him.

Let’s each find our limits and follow our passions without hurting ourselves. Start your warm-up; spring is nearly upon us. FY

Garden writer Sally Cunningham’s books include Great Garden Companions and BuffaloStyle Gardens.