ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 15, 1997 TAG: 9704150034
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: PERSONAL HEALTH
SOURCE: JANE E. BRODY
Attention weekend warriors armed with rake, hoe and spade: Are you resigned to the aching back, stiff joints and sore muscles that are the annual legacy of your desire to ready the yard and garden for another growing season? Or are you willing to learn some simple techniques that can bring you beautiful blooms and luscious produce without sacrificing your body?
``People tend to get involved in the task and don't think about how they are using their bodies when they garden,'' said Carole Crewdson, a movement specialist who has taught body-safe gardening techniques at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York.
Dr. Mark Anderson, an associate professor of physical therapy at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, said: ``People don't think of gardening as an athletic activity, but it is physically demanding and you have to prepare your body for it. Any activity that you haven't done for a long time uses muscles that haven't been used in a while.''
Getting ready to garden
``A lot of springtime gardeners don't do anything the rest of the year,'' Crewdson said. ``They need to prepare their bodies for gardening as they would prepare the soil for planting.''
Ideally, Anderson said, gardeners should maintain a year-round exercise program. Failing that, he suggests starting the season not with the shovel but with a regimen of activities that build general fitness: endurance, strength and flexibility.
Before you tackle the soil, warm up and loosen up. Walk around the yard several times or march in place to get the blood flowing; then do some gentle stretching exercises, particularly of the muscles in the lower back, legs and arms. Warm-ups should include circling and rocking movements to loosen up the pelvis, shoulders, arms, legs, hands and feet.
Use body-sparing equipment. Crewdson recommends rakes, shovels and other tools that are appropriate to your height and strength, cushioned pads for your knees (the kind that children wear when they play soccer), a sheet or lightweight tarp to collect raked-up debris so it can be dragged instead of carried to a disposal site, and perhaps a gardening stool to sit on.
When loads are very heavy, get someone to help, divide the load in half, slide it along on a mat or use a luggage cart to carry it. Another handy device is a two-wheeled plastic lawn cart.
Crewdson suggests, ``Think before you attack a task: `How can I make this job easier?'''
Learn to move safely
The best tools in the world will not spare your body unless you move it properly. Crewdson teaches the principles of the Alexander technique to reduce needless stress on muscles and joints. The technique involves keeping the spine elongated from the occipital notch at the base of the skull to the tip of the tailbone.
It also emphasizes using the whole body, especially the weight and strength of the torso and legs, as the energy source for most garden tasks. This reduces stress on the neck, back, shoulders, arms and knees.
For raking, sweeping or hoeing, she teaches a lunging technique in which you step forward with one foot in the direction you are facing and, with the rear knee bent and back straight, shift your weight back and forth in a rocking motion as you work the tool. Neck and shoulder muscles stay relaxed.
The same principle can be applied to digging. In all these activities, avoid twisting your body. To transfer leaves or soil to one side, swivel on your feet and face the direction the material is going in.
Some general tips
Avoid using more energy than a task requires. ``Too many people attack a rake or garden hose as if they were heavy artillery,'' Crewdson said.
Learn to pace yourself. ``Do not try to do everything in one afternoon,'' she said. ``Don't set unreasonable goals, such as `I must finish that last border today,' and be sure to take frequent breaks to relieve the stress on body parts.''
Crewdson suggests dividing a three-hour task into three one-hour sessions and setting a timer to go off every 15 minutes to remind you to change positions, relax tense muscles and stretch.
And rather than doing the same chore for an hour at a time, switch off every 15 or 20 minutes to activities that use different muscle groups, like raking, planting and clipping hedges. This allows muscles to recover before they become overly fatigued and lose their ability to protect the body from injury.
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LENGTH: Medium: 88 linesby CNB