Working out in the yard is a great way to spend a Saturday. Some people like to work outside the entire day, until the sun goes down-these people are called Saturday's warriors.
Often there is residual pain which comes from working non-stop outside like this-your body will most likely be completely physically exhausted on Sunday. This feeling is avoidable however, if you learn how to take care of yourself, and keep your body safe and hydrated.
First of all, one of the biggest reasons that people get injured from doing yard work is because they do not treat it like the workout routine that it truly is. Before any workout, you should warm up your muscles by stretching.
This will increase blood flow, which warms the muscles and primes them for strenuous activity. Muscles that are cold, and have not properly warmed up, are more easily strained, and even torn which causes serious injury.
There are easy stretches that you can do to warm up your whole body, before you begin. The more you take care of yourself on Saturday, the less pain you will experience the next day.
Start by reaching for the sky. Stand up tall, raise your arms up to the sky while exhaling, and then slowly bring them down to your sides while inhaling.
Repeat this at least five times, inhaling and exhaling fully. Next do a forward bend.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, slowly bend forward at the waist while exhaling, then slowly stand back up straight again while inhaling. Repeat this five times.
Do some simple twists as well. Stand, and slowly twist at the waist to the left while exhaling, and then inhale as you come back to center. Repeat this while moving to the right, and complete the series five times.
Squats are a good way to prepare yourself for the kneeling you are going to need to do while you are weeding, planting, etc. If the legs are not active before you begin, they will hurt very much the next day.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and slowly bend your knees while exhaling. Do not bend your knees farther out in front than your feet are planted-this could be the cause of injury.
Straighten your knees slowly while inhaling. Repeat this motion five times.
Try some arm crosses now. If you are going to be lifting bags of rocks, fertilizer, or heavy tools, you need to make sure you upper body is strong.
Stand up straight and slowly bring your straightened left arm across your body. Place your right hand on your left shoulder, and slowly pull your left shoulder toward your body while exhaling.
Release and repeat for opposite arm. Do this five times per side.
Now that your stretching is done, the next most important thing you can do is to stay fully hydrated throughout the entire day. Just like when you workout, you will sweat while you are raking and doing other yard chores.
To combat dehydration and to help your body stay feeling good throughout the day, keep a bottle of water handy, and take liberal breaks to drink it. You should drink enough water so that you have to use the restroom at least every hour and a half or so.
Be sure to take a short break, at least every fifteen minutes, to get a drink of water and stretch gently if you feel yourself becoming stiff. Take a seat and make sure you take some deep breathes.
The more rest you give yourself, the less pain you will feel the next day. High impact yard work is not meant to be done for hours at a time without breaks.
If your yard work will take more than three hours to complete, split it into two ninety-minute sessions, or even a little bit each day if that is better for you. When you have finished for the day, be sure to repeat the warm up stretches you performed to slowly cool down and stretch your muscles.
Give yourself a reward, and allow yourself to relax now. Do not forget to keep drinking-in this way, you can avoid the crash tomorrow.
Author Resource:-
Tom Selwick has worked the past 22 years in the lawn care industry. He suggests usingLawn Service Atlanta for a quality lawn.
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