Gardening can be so relaxing - but unfortunately it can also cause severe back pain. However, you can avoid this with our tips.
Fresh air, sunshine and lots of nature: It is not for nothing that the home garden is considered a haven of peace and relaxation for many people. But the green oasis also regularly causes a lot of work - which is not always easy, especially for older hobby gardeners. Unfortunately, loving care for plants often not only strains the muscles and joints, but above all the back. Whether raking, weeding, sowing, watering or digging - if you don't pay attention and work in a back-friendly way, you will have to reckon with tension and annoying back pain at the end of the day.
But how can gardening be made more back-friendly? What tools are there to tackle the upcoming tasks as painlessly as possible? And how can ergonomic garden furniture and equipment help you fully enjoy your well-deserved end of work? We would like to clarify all this in this article.
These tips make gardening easier
For many hobby gardeners, working in their own garden is almost a kind of meditation where you can forget about all problems, stress and even the most boring everyday life - at least until your joints and back report in the evening. The constant bending down, working on your knees and carrying heavy equipment around can quickly spoil the joy of gardening. However, there are a few ways to make gardening a lot more back-friendly.
❍ Tip 1 - Use tool with (telescopic) handle:
First and foremost, for example, are the right tools, because rakes and shovels with a sufficiently long (telescopic) handle can often make a big difference. You should make sure that the various equipment fits your size and that you can work upright. Whether digging fork, spade or rake - if the end of the handle reaches to the lower rib arch, nothing stands in the way of back-friendly gardening.
❍ Tip 2 - Correct posture/tension:
In addition, it is advisable to always pay attention to the correct posture and tension when lifting and carrying. It is best to use both arms, tense your abdominal and back muscles a little and always lift heavy loads from a squat position. When shoveling, on the other hand, it's best to use your legs instead of your back.
Also: In the long run, monotonous movements also lead to back pain. It is therefore advisable to make gardening varied.
❍ Tip 3 - Use a wheelbarrow/handcart:
You should always use a wheelbarrow or sack truck to transport potting soil, green waste and the like. The following applies here (as with filling watering cans and buckets): less is often more. Then it's better to run several times instead of filling the wheelbarrow too much and having to struggle with pain later.
❍ Tip 4 - Simplify watering:
If you have the opportunity, it is best to use a hose for washing up and for general irrigation in order to avoid having to carry water all the time. Alternatively, you can also rely on automatic irrigation systems, lawn sprinklers or drip hoses.
❍ Tip 5 - Use useful tools:
Work is a lot easier with a knee cushion or a small stool, a tool belt and a practical garden apron for storing seeds, knives and other small tools. Because thanks to the tool belt or garden apron, you always have everything at hand and can save yourself unnecessary trips and movements.
❍ Tip 6 - Choose the right plants:
You can also save yourself back pain by choosing the right plants. For example, potted plants should be moved to a frost-free interior before winter. The leaves of deciduous trees also have to be raked up in the fall. You can save yourself all this if, for example, you rely on conifers instead of deciduous trees and on hardy plants. Perennial perennials, ground cover and large lawns are usually less work.
Ergonomic garden furniture allows for a well-deserved rest
What you should not forget with all the gardening work: Regular breaks. This is the best way for the body to recover and recharge its batteries. But here too there are a few important things to consider, because only those who sit well and above all correctly can find the necessary relaxation. Therefore:
➜ Make sure that you sit as straight as possible and without largeEffort to get up.
➜ Try to relax during the break and don't think about the tasks ahead of you.
The right seating with back-friendly backrests and comfortable seats makes a big difference during short drinking breaks, but above all during extended, cozy get-togethers in the garden. For example, garden furniture from Kettler is known and awarded for its functionality and quality. Ergonomics play a crucial role.
Tip:
A cool drink and a little music can help enormously to quickly replenish energy reserves. And if your back hurts despite the break, you can postpone the rest of your work until the next day despite your guilty conscience - your he alth will thank you.
Raised beds and plant tables: It depends on the right working height
Gardening without bending down? Plant and harvest without bending your back? And sow seeds without having to get on your knees? What sounds like a true dream for every hobby gardener can quickly become reality thanks to practical raised beds and so-called plant tables. The reason for this: Since a raised bed is usually 80 to 140 centimeters high, there is no need to bend down unhe althily, so that you can concentrate on the planting in comfort. Ideally, you should also use a stool to relax your leg muscles at the same time.
Sufficiently high plant tables are recommended for sowing and planting. Because thanks to the comfortable working height (which can be individually adjusted depending on the model), you protect your back and shoulder muscles, as you can support your arms directly on the planting table.
Tip:
You can even create a raised bed on the balcony or place a planting table on the balcony. A great side effect: the plants get more light on the balcony because they are planted higher. We recommend that you sit on a table raised bed. So you can stow something under the raised bed.
The right equipment is worth its weight in gold - also for your he alth
Finally, you can save yourself a lot of trouble and long-term he alth problems if you pay attention to the right equipment. In addition to the apron mentioned and the tool belt (so that you have all the important utensils ready to hand), you should also make sure you have the right footwear (rubber bootsor work shoes instead of flip flops or barefoot) and - depending on the weather - make sure you have adequate UV protection. In addition, gardening gloves of the right size can prevent unsightly calluses and painful blisters in the first place.
And a word about tools: blunt saws and knives, jammed scissors and rusty shovels or hoes not only make gardening unnecessarily exhausting, but in the worst case can even become a potential hazard. If you save at the wrong end here, you risk your he alth and the fun of a hobby that is actually so wonderful.