Sarah's Health Notes: How to avoid gardener’s aches

I’ve just spent the sunny lovely weekend gardening – planting bulbs (Cassie the cockapoo just dug up several – grrrr) and window boxes and weeding (Cassie joining in enthusiastically – more digging) – and feeling generally rather pleased with everything until… my back started revolting.

A hot bath and ice packs means it’s much better now but it sent me scurrying back to previous tips on how to avoid those pesky aches and pains and ouches. So here’s what I’m going to do next weekend!

• Warm up with gentle stretches before I start; actually this can just be a stroll round the fields with aforesaid cockapoo and a few lunges and squats.

• Put on supportive boots so I can dig (my Rootslayer is a boon) without my foot slipping.

• Remove tight belts and wear nice baggy jeans (like the ones I muck out the stables in) rather than my stretchy clingy drainpipes.

• Bend my knees – not my back. Pretty well the most important for me. Yoga teacher and gardener Kat Farrants says squat as much as you can. Or kneel on a nice thick pad when planting in soil/weeding.

• Use a table for potting up – it makes a huge difference.

• Do not lug bags of compost and grit around – ask someone strong (and probably younger!)

• Take breaks every 20 to 30 minutes and change what you’re doing; so kneel and weed then change to potting or pruning or whatever.

• Do the opposite action; if you’ve been bending forwards, e.g. digging, stretch your whole body up and back with arms out. Actually this is great at any time. Thank you, my genius chiropractor Dominic Cheetham.

• Don’t flop down on the sofa afterwards – stretch gently then have a warm bath with Epsom salts.

So, happy gardening! Oh, and if you want to deter a dog (or squirrels or cats or maybe deer) from digging up your bulbs, invest in a huge bag of chilli powder and scatter liberally. A-tishoooo!

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