SITTING

 My mom has been sick and I've been sitting a lot. This made me realize no matter what we're doing these days, we're likely doing some of it on the computer. Whether we're researching medicines and illnesses, or gathering information on how to care for a new plant variety, or posting pictures of the garden on the internet, we're sitting while we do it. And while it's been so hot, I'm guessing many are spending more time indoors than usual.  I just posted this on my website and thought it might have some usefulness here as well:

On any given week new people  come to me seeking relief from low back pain.  And while the lower lumbar region is the area of their discomfort, it is typically a result of tight hamstrings, gluteals (buttocks), psoas and quads (hip flexors). 

Aaahh Spring! Arrrrgh Weeding!

I really shouldn't growl at weeding. It is such a zen time for me; mindlessly cleaning out the beds from intruders who would like to evoke squatters rights. And this morning in Nashville was a perfect time to be out in the garden. Birds chirping as they tended to their nests, gentle breeze, and nowhere I had to be at any particular hour. Focusing on nothing but the earth, caring for nothing but the plants, and letting the stresses of the workaday world fall away.

And so I plucked the stray chickweed and hackberry wanna be's from my perennial bed, staked the peonies, and cleaned the last of the leaves out of the fern bed. My treat was finding two more asparagus ready for eating. and eat them I did, right there on the spot.

My take away for you today is that the main caution when weeding is

Writer's Block

Writer's Block

This should actually be posted under a different blog called Cat Tales or something similar, but regardless here's what I have to contribute today:

I was diligently working on a writing project but had reached a point where it was clear that staring at the screen was not going to produce anything fruitful. So I decided to take a quick little respite and break my physical and mental stagnation by running to the store around the corner to pick up the only item I really need before tomorrow - kitty litter. I had forgotten it when I was out running errands this morning. Shouldn't take but ten minutes. the store is only 1/4 mile away. Getting out and moving my body will help shake things loose and I'll be back at the computer fully functional and productive again in no time.

So I picked up the kitty litter and on the way home noticed that there was no line at the car wash. So I popped in to do the auto wash thingy that only takes 5 minutes. A long time was being spent on the front of the car when I finally realized I was stuck and the automated system was not advancing me.

Death by Monkey Grass

I was visited by a client last week who had numbness in her arm and hand. On closer investigation, it turns out she has been manicuring her Liriope by hand. Repeated pulling and holding with the left hand, clipping with the right and then pitching the clippings in the basket behind her and to the left. ... for hours at a time.

The body position alone is enough to get you in trouble. On your knees and hunched over; the neck and head are forced forward. The arms are out in front of you with nothing to support their weight.

And then there's the repetitive motion. The trifecta of garden injuries.

Lifting PreHab

OK, Last night we sat on the couch eating cheese and cheering cheese. Time to get up and moving this morning. For me I still have four minutes until workout time!

 I've been looking out over my garden and making the list of all the things that need to happen out there. I've still got some mulching to do in the fern beds and a stack of stone waiting to finish the walkway. Lifting chores like that are going to require a strong back and abdominals. So today's work out will concentrate on strengthening those body parts.

 One arm rows will help the latissimus dorsi. (right now 20pounds is the right weight for me)  Bent over rows and Seated rows for the upper back. I'm not a huge fan of

Prehabilitation

PREHABILITATION:

Just as Weeding is not done just to make your garden look good - (remember, it’s really about keeping more nutrients for the plants you cultivate) Fitness is not just about image, looking good or how much you weigh. It is all about physical ability and function. Here we are focused on how be fit enough to function well in the garden to be able to do all the things you want to do.

If strength training does not mimic the way muscles are used in our everyday life, then it might have a cosmetic effect (helping you look good/fit) but it will not necessarily translate into an injury preventing result. It is important to perform ‘functional exercise’ and to be specific in