Seed Guide 2007 pgs 01/41 - McKenzie Seeds

G A R D E N I N G S A F E T Y T I P S
Gardeners Safety Tips
Helpful Hints from:
These gardening safety tips are offered
to you by the Canadian Physiotherapy
Association and its almost 10,000 member
physiotherapists, who want you to have a
healthy and active gardening season.
Physiotherapists are healthcare
professionals educated to help people of
all ages and lifestyles to gain and
maintain their desired level of active
living. With their applied knowledge and
understanding of the human body in
action, physiotherapists are able to work
with you to increase your mobility, relieve
your pain, build your strength and
improve your balance and cardiovascular
function. They not only treat your injury,
but they also teach you how to prevent
the onset of pain or injury that may limit
your activity.
The physiotherapists in your community
and across the country offer gardeners
these helpful hints to ensure you get the
most enjoyment and remain the most
active this gardening season.
If you would like further information on
a general stretching program or if you
experience persistent pain after
gardening or other activities, you can
contact a physiotherapist directly or ask
your family doctor for a referral. For
more information about physiotherapy in
general, you can visit the Canadian
Physiotherapy Association web site at:
www.physiotherapy.ca.
DON'T VEGETATE: CULTIVATE!
• 30 minutes of gardening give general
health benefits similar to going for a
brisk walk
• gardening tasks require bending your
joints and stretching your muscles -
preserving flexibility
• lifting and repetitive tasks around the
yard build strength and endurance
GET READY...BEFORE YOU GO
• avoid pain and injury when you begin
gardening by keeping your body in
shape all year round. Do regular
physical activity and stretching
• plan ahead - have the right tools for
the job, - maintained and ready for
safe use
• keep your supplies within easy reach -
consider using a carpenter’s apron
• plan the work area for your comfort
• rehearse the movement prior to your
task to give the muscles a stretch
• have to crouch? Warm up with trunk,
hip and knee bends
• plan to reach? Stretch your neck and
shoulders to mimic the activity.
• warm-up stretches should be slow,
sustained 10 - 20 seconds, and painfree
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
• match the size of the gardening tool
handle to the size of your hand
• hold your tools in a loose comfortable
grip. Holding too tight may cause
injury.
• choose tools that you can hold so that
you keep your hand positioned in line
with your forearm
90 W W W . M C K E N Z I E S E E D S . C O M