Learn how Pilates can help gardeners enjoy the outdoors more

The gardening season is slowly coming to a close however there are still a few weeks left.  Throughout the spring and summer you’ve probably noticed that gardening is providing you with some much needed exercise after the winter.  Pilates can help gardeners enjoy their craft and the outdoors more.

Why is Gardening Good Exercise? 

While gardening all the major muscle groups are worked: legs, glutes, arms, shoulders, neck, back and abdominals.   Resistance training can be achieved through lifting bags of fertilizer, pushing wheelbarrows, shoveling.  These are all low impact activities unlike aerobics or jogging.  Aside from working muscles, gardening can also be good for burning calories, stretching (i.e. when reaching for weeds or tall branches, bending to plant and extending when raking.)

How Pilates Can Help Gardeners?

Pilates can help gardeners maintain the fitness they have achieved by gardening throughout the summer.  

Trunk rotation (obliques):  There are mat exercises and reformer exercises that target the obliques.  On the reformer there is “side twist sitting” and “star prep”.  On the mat we have the “obliques” exercise and “side bend” or “side plank” that will target the obliques.

Abdominals:  All the exercises in Pilates, whether on the mat or on equipment, use the abdominals in some form, whether as a stabilizer or as the primary muscle group performing the movement. 

Back:  There are a series of exercises on the reformer “back rowing” that target the mid back muscles or muscles in the scapular region (trapezius, rhomboids). You also want to stretch out this region.  A “cat stretch” on the mat can help stretch this area out.

Chest:  Pushups on the mat or wall.  There is a series of “front rowing” exercises on the reformer that will target the shoulders and chest (pectoral) muscles. 

Legs:  There are many ways to work the muscles in the legs on the reformer and mat, calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, hips both strengthening and stretching. 

Arms:  With the reformer the arms can be worked, e.g. biceps, triceps, deltoids 

Unfortunately, as with any form of exercise there is the potential for injuries.  

Common Gardening Injuries 

Back pain:  Spending too many hours bent over planting, weeding, watering, hauling sacks of fertilizer, pushing wheelbarrows etc. while gardening can lead to a very sore back.   Bend at the knees when lifting, use arms and thighs to push heavy objects.  If the load is too heavy, lighten it and make two trips of get another pair of hands to help out. 

Long handled tools will help minimize the amount of bending you have to do.  Controlled movement opposed to jerky movements will help.  Using tools with smaller blades that weigh less may help reduce muscle strain. 

Repetitive Strain:  Alternate tasks while gardening.

How to minimize muscle strain while gardening

Correct body positioning while gardening will help reduce the strain on muscles and joints.  The nice thing about working on the reformer as a compliment to gardening is that the “core” muscles, abdominals, spinal muscles and back muscles are always working as stabilizers while other muscle groups may be working.  Pilates is good form of functional training which will then translate to other activities such as gardening where “core” muscles are always active stabilizing the body.

Gardening Tips

• Alternate tasks between heavy chores such as digging and lifting with lighter, less physically demanding tasks like planting.
• When raking, stand with one leg forward, one leg back and alternate ever few minutes.
• Kneel when planting or weeding.  (The constant bending can put strain on the back, neck, leg muscles and joints.  Knee Pads or a mat when kneeling can be used to make kneeling more comfortable.  And when kneeling, keep your back straight.
• Change positions every 10 to 15 minutes.  This can go hand in hand with alternating tasks as moving from a kneeling to standing position can mean changing tasks from playing to digging.
• Pace yourself.  As with any physical activity, pace yourself.  Take a few breaks each hour of gardening.  Take a few minutes to stretch, have a drink or just sit and relax. Spread the work out over several days rather than doing marathon gardening sessions.  The same results will be achieved.

Benefits of gardening

 Gardening 30 minutes a day will help

• Increase flexibility
• Strengthen joints
• Decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels
• Lower risk of diabetes
• Slow osteoporosis