Jenny Branigan is a chartered physiotherapist
ball. This will help prevent aches or injuries and keep your hands and arms strong throughout the gardening season.
If you suffer a flare-up of back pain or indeed any pain when you garden, see your local chartered physiotherapist for advice on how to build up your strength and endurance to allow you to garden without injury.
9 Check your lawnmowers
You may need to consider a motored mower rather than a manual one if you have a history of back pain. The motored ones glide easier along the grass, putting less pressure on your back and arms. The longer the grass is, the more you will need to push a manual mower, so better to use a motored mower.
Watch the vigorous pull start on a manual mower — this can cause rotational back injury as well as straining your shoulder if you do it cold, so make sure you warm up first.
10 How to rest when you’re finished
When you have finished gardening, don’t collapse into a soft and low sofa. Instead, walk around the block or sit on a dining room style chair to rest. When your body is in the same position for a long time, eg. forward-bent, the soft tissue structures (muscles and ligaments) gradually lengthen and temporarily weaken. If you sit immediately without letting them gradually return to normal, you may find it hard to get up from the sofa.
This is also relevant if you try to lift something heavy after a long period of time spent bent over. Your ligaments need a few minutes to return to their usual length and strength, to be able to give the proper support needed to lift.
Gardening is a great physical activity and a meaningful one as it keeps us strong and happy. It is worth being proactive and taking a few minutes to plan when gardening, to reduce your risk of getting injured doing an activity that you love. Do you take regular exercise and if so, what?
Yes, I do 30 minutes of high intensity interval training five days a week. That doesn’t include my hugely active music classes and concerts that are full of jumping, dancing and, of course, singing. I’ve found that I need to keep up the regular exercise to give me the energy and support to deliver my high intensity children’s shows for those little boppers and rock toddlers.
What is the worst illness you’ve had?
Pneumonia — twice. I wouldn’t recommend it. The sense of not being able to breathe or get enough breath is terrible. I thought I just had a bad dose and kept running my classes and shows. I’d come home after singing and feel like someone had beat my torso with a bat. It was the only time I ever cancelled a performance, touch wood.
How healthy is your diet?
I was very overweight as a child — in fact, I weighed more at 13 than I do now. My wife was key to helping me understand how to develop a proper diet and good eating habits. That diet has changed over the years, but I find now if I eat a diet that is focused on plant-based foods I feel better. I keep my animal-based products to less than 10%... a good portion of that is black pudding.
Any bad habits?
I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to break bad habits, but I still get weak for a caramel slice. The sweet tooth can get the better of me sometimes. More problematic is my love for coffee. I could drink coffee all day, only for it to keep me up all night. I do keep a tight lead on my coffee consumption though.
Do you drink and smoke/if so how much?
I don’t smoke and if I have a drink it would be a little nip of whiskey on very special occasions.
Do you take any supplements? Over the years I’ve tried various shakes, meal replacements and energy drinks, but frankly, nothing