Hey hello Reader,
Every season brings something special, whether it be blooming flowers, snow days or the crunch of leaves under your feet... And if you're a student in The Garden, that means a new workshop that was voted on!
Coming up on June 25th at 6pm EST we'll be going into myofascial release. That means to pull out that foam roller you bought with good intentions, but aren't quite sure how to use it.
This special class is all about trigger points, what they are, what different myofascial tools are, and how to use them, and household alternatives, to feel a few extra degrees of release in your body.
If you're a student of The Garden - this is included, no matter what tier you pay! And of course, there's a recording too, so join The Garden before June 25th and get in on this season's workshop to release those stubborn knots!
Speaking of gardens, I think it's fair to say I really like nature, so of course, this month's written piece is about how flexibility training can support you when you're digging up weeds, or just trying to smell the flowers.
Gardening Without the Aches
Gardening is a lot of work, but it can pay off in more ways than one.
When summer 2020 came around, houseplants became my hobby. When I moved to the suburbs and had access to a yard in 2022, gardening took over my life as my go-to joyful and grounding activity. And if you’re a gardener yourself, you know how much of a workout it can be to work in the garden. Gardening requires flexibility, strength, and balance, and has been shown to boost mood, relieve stress and even strengthen community ties! The one caveat when it comes to gardening is the opportunity to feel very stiff and sore after a day digging, raking and mowing. So it makes sense that one of the first steps to making sure you’re taking care of your body while gardening is stretching.
Squatting + Reaching + Digging + Lifting + Twisting = a full-body gardening workout
Dr. I-Min Lee, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and expert on the role of physical activity in disease prevention, has been quoted to say that working in your garden is equal to moderate-intensity exercise, and it’s not hard to believe.
Activities that rate 3-9 on a metabolic equivalent (METS) scale are considered moderate-intensity exercises by exercise researchers' standards on how much oxygen per minute a person uses during a specific activity - digging holes is 3.5 METS, planting seeds or crops is 4.3 METS, mowing the lawn or weeding is listed at 5.0 METS.
Gardening is a perfect example of functional movement in real life: you’re getting up and down constantly, holding tools, twisting your body, pushing the lawnmower, pulling the rake full of leaves towards you, and a lot of these movements can be compared to compound movements in the gym. Your grip, glutes, quads, hamstrings, shoulders and core are all being put to work. It makes sense that after even an hour outside, your heart rate has increased, you’re sweating and feeling sore … not to mention we are usually outside on those sometimes too hot and sunny days, upping the ante.
This is where flexibility for gardeners comes in. Of course, the benefits of flexibility training is a long list, but how about with gardening? The knees, hips and low back usually take the brunt of responsibility as we move through the yards and gardens and can cause a lot of stiffness and joint pain, but with regular stretching, much of this strain can be reduced significantly. Especially with stretching the hips, it improves squatting range and the ease of standing back up — and after spending this weekend gardening, what I really noticed was how much I had to stand back up just to go back down two seconds later.
Flexibility training for our shoulders helps with our overhead reach, spinal mobility and raking that huge pile of leaves. Our grip strength improves with movements like downward-facing dog, and forearm planks, so our hands don’t tire out from holding that hand shovel. And generally, ensuring we work on our flexibility and mobility when not out in the garden will help speed up recovery after long days outside.
When we’re outdoors we breathe deeper than we do indoors, usually due to indoor spaces having more pollution than outdoors, and of course with breathing deeply we are calming our nervous system and lowering stress levels, so while we’re gardening, not only are we getting in a workout, but boosting our moods and mental health too.
Studies have shown that gardening lowers cortisol, increases serotonin and even has links to lowering the chances of dementia later in life. Plus, with being out in the sun, you’re also increasing your vitamin D intake and lowering your blood pressure just by absorbing the sun's rays!
I also like to think gardening is a great body-neutral goal, moving around in between the flowers and soil isn’t about calories — it is about feeling accomplished, grounded, and connected to nature.
Because gardening isn’t a high-intensity activity like running, chances of injury are reduced - but never zero. Stretching before and after gardening is key! I always like to recommend light mobility before any activity, gardening included, movements like hip and wrist circles, goal-post openers for the shoulders and spine, and leg swings to warm up the lower body are great to prepare yourself for the movements to come.
Overexertion and improper form is often what brings us pain and strain during gardening, so remember to listen to your body, take breaks when needed, and lift with your legs - never your back. When you’re tidying up and ready to head back inside, that’s a perfect time to pop on a video from the Relax & Release playlist in The Garden library to release the lingering tension in your body with stretches you can hold and sink into. I even have a specific gardening video coming soon that will give you a warm-up and cool down to all your gardening you have coming up this summer!
Gardening with joy is simple when you move with ease. Flexibility and gardening go hand in hand when it comes to caring for your body, physically and mentally. Just like when you’re at the garden centre looking for a new plant that will catch your eye, try out different stretches to see what suits your body best the next time you plan to go outside. Like the garden you care for outside, see your body as one too and remember it is worth taking care of.
