Stretches to do Before Gardening

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Stretches to do Before Gardening
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• Gardening is a great way to get active, enjoy the
  sun, and add some curb appeal
• It is important to remember to warm the body up
  with some simple stretches to help keep you
  limber and prevent injury
• We believe in gentle conditioning and stretches
  that avoid jerky or bouncing motions, inflict
  pain, or cause undue stress and strain to the
  joints and muscles of the body

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Here are a few quick tips to get your green
thumbs and rest of the body ready to go!
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Tip 1

• Start with a short walk to get the heart rate up
  and blood pumping.
• 10 to 15 minutes at a medium pace should be ample

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Tip 2

• Go through the general ranges of motion for
  cervical spine (more commonly known as the neck)
• This means looking down at the ground, then up at
  the sky, look over your left then right
  shoulders, and finish by trying to place your
  left ear on your left shoulder, and then repeat
  on the right
• Each of these stretches should be held for 10-15
  seconds and the whole cycle should be repeated a
  total of 3 times

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Tip 3

• The same ranges of motion can be repeated for the
  lumbar spine (known as the low back)
• Start by standing with feet shoulder width apart
  then lean forward at the waist, then place your
  hands on your hips and extend the back backwards,
  come back to neutral, swivel at the waist left
  then right, lastly extend your right arm overhead
  and bend to your left, switch arms, and repeat
• Again, hold stretches for 10-15 seconds, and
  repeat process 3 times

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Tip 4

• Now we need to warm up the quadriceps ( front of
  your thigh )
• Place your left arm against on something for
  stability, use your right arm to grab the left
  ankle behind your buttocks
• Hold for 15 seconds and then repeat on the
  opposite side

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Tip 5

• To warm up your hamstrings (back of your thigh)
• Sit flat with your legs extended out in front of
  you and bend at the waist attempting to grab your
  ankles on both sides
• This only needs to be done once, for a period of
  15 seconds

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Tip 6

• Your shoulders can be warmed with shrug circles
  performed 10 times going in a forward motion,
  then repeated going backwards
• Arms should be hanging by your sides
• Then wrap your arms around you in a self bear
  hug, and swivel to the left and then right

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Tip 7

• Finally warm up the wrists that will be major
  players in the gardening game
• Start by extending your left arm out with your
  left palm extended in the stop position. Use
  your right hand to pull back on the fingers
  gently
• Hold 15 seconds, and repeat process with the
  wrist flexed down and the palm towards you

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Conclusion

• To plant and rake without the ache, do each of
  these stretches everyday. Dont bounce, jerk or
  strain. Stretches should be gentle and should not
  cause pain. If you still face pain and that
  bothers you then dont hesitate to visit massage
  therapist in Oakville and get relaxed