Gardening is a really wonderful thing – you get fresh air, exercise, and hopefully some lovely plants as your reward.
But it can be hard on the body, and you may be wondering how to garden without hurting your back… We are here to tell you the best ways to do this!
How To Garden Without Hurting Your Back
The back, neck and shoulders are often affected by gardening, particularly if you are out of practice. But, there are some things you can do to help this:
Warm up before you start
It may feel a little silly, but doing some stretches and limbering exercises before you get the spade out can really help in the long run.
Give yourself a break
Taking a five minute rest now and then, to stand up properly and stretch out your muscles, is a great way to avoid chronic back pain.
Learn to lift properly
When you are carrying heavy objects such as plants or fertiliser sacks, ensure that you lift the items by bending at the knees, not through your back.
Use support
It is sometimes easier to kneel whilst gardening – to avoid damaging your knees, try a padded kneeler for comfort.
Try long handled tools
Bending down is a major cause of gardening back pain, so extending your reach is a great idea to minimise the bending you have to do.
Mulch, mulch, mulch
Weeding, and the repetitive motions associated with it, can wreak havoc on your back. Consider mulching instead, to reduce the weeds.
Bring the plants up
All that squatting and bending can cause back pain, so why not consider a raised bed that will bring your garden up a little so you have to bend less?
Try vertical gardening
Having your plants at eye level will certainly help your back – in fact, you may never need to bend again! Using a trellis, planter or a specialised structure to attach plants to a wall, can really help.
So there you have it. You do not have to give up your favourite hobby because of a bad back – simply think outside the box a little.
This useful article is packed with tips on how to enjoy your favourite pastime without injuring your back, or making existing back pain worse:
Why Does Gardening Hurt My Back?
In short, gardening hurts the back because of all the movements associated with it. Bending, stretching, working in small spaces and lifting heavy things – all these movements can cause back problems.
The movements you use in gardening are not generally movements that you would use every day, so this can also contribute.
If your body is not used to a certain exercise, chances are it will kick up a fuss when you make it do these types of movements!
The pain in your back and your muscles is caused by inflammation and your body sending blood to the area to try to heal it.
Stretching, resting and making sure that you build up slowly rather than jumping straight into digging up the patio, are all ways to avoid back pain.
How Do I Strengthen My Back For Gardening?
Just about the best way to avoid back pain caused by gardening is to strengthen your back in general.
Keeping the muscles strong, toned and supple is absolutely key – and luckily there are some fairly easy ways to do this!
- Have a brisk walk around. This will help to get your body ready for slightly more strenuous exercise.
- Try the back-flexion exercise. Lie on your back and pull your knees towards your chest while bringing your head forward.
- Stretch out your shoulders and back by raising your arms above your head and bending to each side for 20 seconds each.
- Do 10 or 12 squats – this will help to strengthen your legs and buttocks, which will in turn take some of the stress off your back.
- Try pilates. This gentle form of exercise is specific to helping strengthen the back, and you will find that your gardening experiences will be easier and less painful.
This comprehensive video will show you some great exercise to stop your back from hurting when you garden:
What Muscles Do You Use When Gardening?
It may surprise you to know that gardening exercises a huge variety of different muscle groups.
Shoulders, neck, back and stomach are the big ones, but you will also use legs, arms and buttocks in your gardening.
Although your muscles might protest after a day in the garden, it is actually incredibly good exercise for your general health.
Digging, lifting, pushing wheelbarrows and carrying mulch and compost are exercises that are similar to weight lifting, providing strength training and healthier bones and joints.
Bending down and getting up doing weeding is similar to doing squats, which will target your glutes and your thighs.
Any exercise which burns calories is good fore your health – and your waistline – so get out there and get gardening!
Does Gardening Tone Your Body?
In a word, yes, gardening can really help to tone your body and get you feeling that little bit fitter.
Gardening definitely qualifies as exercise, with 30-45 minutes being able to burn as much as 300 calories!
Getting any exercise that builds a sweat and works your muscles is very good at toning your body, and you will start to notice results very quickly.
The physical exertion of gardening can help with any age-related weight gain, and can keep everything ticking along nicely.
Many gardening tasks involve lifting, which is the same as weight lifting in a gym – this is good for weight loss as well as other health conditions like diabetes.
As long as you make sure that you prepare for the job by stretching beforehand, and making sure you get good rest afterwards, gardening is a very beneficial exercise.
Final Words
If you love gardening but you are starting to feel some unbearable aches and pains after a sustained day’s digging, you may feel like giving up.
It turns out you don’t have to stop your favourite pastime, simply find some useful tips to help minimise the pain. Hopefully we have helped!
