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WHAT'S NEW
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Great gardening stretches
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Yardwork doesn't have to leave you with aching muscles. Try our stretch program for pleasant, pain-free gardening.
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By Michele Drake
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April showers bring May flowers -- along with stiff and aching muscles for those who strive for garden splendour. You can enjoy your outdoor tasks and avoid sore muscles by following some good guidelines for gardening -- stretch, stretch and stretch! This program allows you to stay focused and get your work done efficiently, and it keeps your body moving to avoid soreness from staying in the same position for too long.
You'll need
Note pad and pen
A timer (kitchen timer is good)
A container filled with drinking water (about 1.5 litres -- 5 glasses)
Knee pad -- or a folded towel
Towel
Make a list of things you hope to accomplish in 20-minute intervals, (i.e: weed garden, add soil, plant flowers, prune bush, sweep porch, etc.) Each task will serve as one gardening station.
-Set the timer for 20-minute intervals.
-Each 20 minutes, take at least three to five gulps of water to keep from getting dehydrated.
-Then perform one of the stretches provided and move to a different station.
*Click here for photos and instructions for stretches.
Guidelines for safe stretches
Stretching should never be painful. Take a stretch to gentle tension. Aim for an "aw" sensation, rather than an "ow!" reaction. Muscles can be resistant to stretch, but gently ease into the motion and see if the next few come a little easier. Don't overextend.
You may choose to repeat the stretches right before bedtime -- this allows tight muscles to stay long and relaxed for a long duration of time.
Forgot to plant bulbs last fall? Here's how to grow the perfect spring garden in no time.
Michele Drake is a Toronto-based fitness consultant. She is certified with a long list of associations including the Canadian Personal Trainers Network, CanFitPro and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. She is also the founder and creator of Healthy Me, Healthy You, a pre- and postnatal fitness regime.
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