Tips for Healthy Autumn Gardening
September 28, 2020
Caring for Our Nurses
October 4, 2020
For many the thought of getting the garden ready for the winter or sweeping up the autumn leaf fall is hard work. However there are many benefits to this free physical activity. Stretching out before your autumn gardening sessions will keep you fit and healthy (and away from your osteopath). These exercises are aimed to keep you moving. Try these out along with my tips in my autumn gardening blog to minimise the risks of aches and pains.
Warm up for autumn gardening
Make sure you warm up first - a 15 minute walk or jog, and the stretching exercises below will ensure that you are less likely to strain something once you get going.Squats
Stand legs slightly wider than shoulder width, bend your knees to the full squat (90 degrees) position.
Feet pointing directly forwards, or slightly turned out.
Your knee-cap should be in line with your middle toes.
Keep your feet flat on the ground.
Hamstring Stretches
Stand up and place one leg behind your other leg.
Lean forwards gently as you come to your end of range, you should create a stretch to the back of your thigh (hamstring muscles).
The stretch will feel stronger on the back leg.
Hold the stretch.
After the stretch, roll up to a standing position
Calf (Gastrocs) Stretch
Stand on a step, Hold onto a hand rail for balance.
Slowly raise up onto your toes, and lower back down to just below the level of the step.
Glut Stretch
Sitting in an upright chair,
Hold onto your knee and pull it towards your opposite shoulder.
You should feel a stretch in your bottom.
You can change the angle that you bend your hip to make the stretch more effective to a particular part of your bottom.
How can osteopathy help
The exerccises are just a that I use to prescribe to my patients fantastic app Rehab My Patients which allows my patients to view the exercises online and for me to track how they are doing through their diaries. If you feel that you could do with a more personalised set of exercises, or need some help with gardening related aches and pains, or just feel in need of a tune up, then give me a call on 07474521329 or book an appointment onlineThanks to www.rehabmypatient.com for a great platform from which I can share exercises with my patients.