There’s a lot to love about gardening. For many people, it provides them with a purpose and a focus, and it also can be a great form of exercise as well. However, it can also take its toll on your body and impact your health in various ways.
That’s why it’s important to consider the ways in which you can look after yourself and protect your health when it comes to your activities in the garden. The extra effort is worth it to keep yourself fit and healthy in order to avoid injuries and other potential pitfalls.
Stretch Before You Start
Before you get started in the garden, it’s a great idea to do some stretching. It will warm up your body and make you a lot less likely to get muscle injuries as you are active in the garden. A simple stretching routine that covers all of your core muscle groups should do the job. When you enter your garden, it’s important to start off on the right foot.
Check Your Posture When Bending Down
When you are gardening, you bend and lean over much more than you realize. You know that you will likely bend down to dig up weeds and to prune branches. You are also constantly picking things up and putting them down again. That’s why it’s helpful to check your posture and make sure you’re not doing anything to increase your potential for injuries. Good posture leads to fewer aches and pains later on — so don’t overlook this.
Make The Most Of The Outdoors
Making the most of your opportunity to spend time outdoors is great for your mental health. Your well-being hinges on doing things that you love. Make the most of what being outside can you for you, in terms of peace and relaxation. If gardening does this for you, then it makes sense to do more of it and really reap those psychological rewards.
Protect Your Knees
When you’re gardening and tending to your flower beds that are low to the ground, make sure that your knees are properly protected. You know that you are likely to be getting down on your knees to take care of the plants and the soil in your flower beds — doing that can really take a toll on your knees, especially as you get older. It may make sense to invest in some knee pads or something that’s more comfortable to kneel on.
Choose Your Products Carefully
It’s critical to be careful about the kinds of gardening products that you are using. There are lots of products that, unfortunately, are not very safe to use as an amateur gardener or hobbyist. Some of them are not even safe to use at all, as the paraquat lawsuits have demonstrated. If possible, it’s best to keep things natural and free of those nasty chemicals that can negatively impact your health. Many gardeners contend that you will achieve better outcomes in your garden when you choose natural products over artificial ones.
Wear Gloves
When gardening, your hands are among the most likely parts of your body to get hurt or damaged. You can get badly scratched and cut up by some plants, if you’re not careful. If you don’t already have a dedicated pair of gardening gloves to keep your hands safe — make it a priority to invest in some at your next opportunity. They can make a real difference.
Stay Hydrated
Finally, you need to make sure that you are keeping your body properly hydrated at all times when you’re working away in the garden. After all, you’re going to be in the sun, and if you’re being active — you are going to lose a lot of water via sweating. In order to stay healthy and feel energized in the garden, you need to be drinking plenty of water.
There is plenty to consider when it comes to looking after your health as an avid gardener. Gardening can be great for your health, and there are lots of reasons to occupy your time in the garden — just make sure that you’re looking after yourself as you do so.
