Lifestyles

Trainers, therapists, authors and all those active in gardening realize the easiest way to end up with a sore back or aching arms is to forget about fitness.

"You have to take ergonomic care," says Joe DeLuca, a physical therapist who works out of Westmoreland Regional Hospital in Greensburg, Westmoreland County. "It can be as simple as warming up. Walking around. Stretching."

Joanie Shively, the group exercise coordinator at the Downtown YMCA, a branch of the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, urges a six-week program to get ready for days in the dirt.

But, she says, yoga and Pilates can be ways to stay loose all the time.

Pat Saugrich, of Sarver, Butler County, says a steady exercise program is her "winter gardening." She is a member of the Herbal Thymes gardening club based in that community. Four of its members take part in a Silver Sneakers exercise program at the Allegheny Valley YMCA in Harrison.

Jeffrey Restuccio is a writer who specializes in fitness for gardening. The author of "Fitness the Dynamic Gardening Way" says the biggest problem is that "most people just garden too long."

He and DeLuca agree that taking breaks is one of the most helpful ways to avoid strains. Restuccio also suggests gardeners need to be aware of the variety of muscles that need to be strengthened.

They need to take care of the back, the legs, the arms, the neck all independently.

"Gardeners need to approach their work as they would a Nautilus station," he says, referring to the exercise machines that work on various muscle groups.

John Wandrisco is the founder of the Latrobe Mini Garden Project in Westmoreland County, which maintains 59 sites around that borough.

He says he stretches frequently simply to stay loose, and he says working consistently to maintain wood fires in his home helps keep him fit.

"And I guess that takes care of a lot of the same muscles that gardening does," he says.

Planning for the planting

Taking care of the muscles is the key, fitness experts say.

Shively at the Pittsburgh YMCA suggests a six-week program to get ready for gardening. Do each workout three times a week, and each group of exercises should be added to the previous ones.

The pattern:

• Week One -- Twist at the abdomen to strengthen front and side muscles. Do knee bend to strengthen legs.

• Week Two -- Trying rowing and rotations to strengthen the shoulders and back. Do arm stretches in front of the body.

• Week Three -- Focus on the chest muscles with wall push-ups.

• Week Four -- Concentrate on legs with squats and stretches of the hamstrings. Toe lifts can be added to squats to work on calves. At this time, the combined exercises are working on all muscle groups.

• Week Five -- Push-ups can become more serious, moving to the floor.

• Week Six -- Concentrate on biceps and forearm stretches.

"Pilates and yoga are good to add to these," she says, "because they work on and strengthen the abdomen."

Other muscles also get work that way, she says. She says the bent-at-waist "downward-facing dog position," where the body is an inverted V supported by the feet and the hands, helps the hamstrings as well as the shoulders and back.

Restuccio, from Tennessee, says the biggest part of the problem is coming out of a "winter of inactivity." He advocates constant attention, and says stretching and doing rotations are the best ways to keep the muscles loose.

John Parker, a 79-year-old retired physician from Latrobe, says he has been gardening "forever," but started doing stretching exercises and push-ups about 25 years ago to help.

"It keeps the muscles toned and keeps me from going to bed with an aching back," says Parker, who is part of the Mini Garden Project.

Don't forget -- use your legs

Sandy York, fitness director at the Allegheny Valley YMCA in Harrison, agrees steady attention is a way of avoiding problems.

Warming up by walking around the yard loosens muscles, she says, and gets a gardener ready.

She says the Silver Sneakers fitness workouts at her site help gardeners keep their muscles in tone through periods of general inactivity.

Carolyn Prager, of Lower Burrell, says even simple exercises, such as light weightlifting, help because they keep the hands looser.

"I am able to dig better because of them," she says.

DeLuca says gardeners aren't going to harm their rotator cuff the way baseball pitchers will, but they can generate stress that will create great discomfort. A steady program of arm rotations will help avoid that.

Restuccio also urges changing sides or positions when possible. For instance, if it is possible to switch hands when raking, shoveling or sweeping, do so to change which muscles are being used.

DeLuca also urges constant awareness to avoid injury. He works for Excela Health as the manager of rehabilitation services for Barclay Rehabilitation.

For example, he points out a gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. Pick up too many of them -- and pick them up the wrong way -- and you're asking for trouble,

"The back is meant for posture," he says, drawing attention to the classic using-the-back mistake in lifting. "Use the quad and calves to carry things,"

Gardeners also make mistakes such as working with their arms too far extended or over their heads.

"You don't see people coming out of the Giant Eagle carrying their bags with their arms extended," he says. "It's the same thing in work. Keep your arms down in front of you."

He also suggests "bringing the garden to you instead of going to the garden."

That means plants in pots or other containers can be brought up to a bench or table, making bending unnecessary.

He also points out jobs don't have to be finished in one swing and it's wise to either rest or switch jobs.

"We live in a get-it-done society," he says, "but it doesn't have to be gotten done right away."

Steps to avoid pain

Orthopedic surgeon Nicholas DeNubile knows gardening can grow into physical problems.

In his book "FrameWork: Your 7 Step Program for Healthy Muscles, Bones and Joints" (Rodale Press, $17,95), he outlines ways to avoid those pains.

• Motion is lotion: It lubricates and nourishes knees and helps reduce the risk for osteoarthritis.

• Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, which reduces flexibility and increases wear and tear. On the average, drink eight eight-ounce glasses a day.

• Don't worry about slight knee discomfort, which should lessen after reduction of activity. Be concerned if the pain becomes more severe or causes a limp.

• Do leg lifts to strengthen the quadricep muscles in front of the thigh.

• Before gardening, warm up enough to break a slight sweat, then do some stretching.

• Wear a good, supportive sneaker to take stress off knees.

• If you develop soreness, ice your knees for 15 minutes after activity.

• Lose extra weight to take stress off knees, Avoid sugary, processed foods and those high in saturated fat.

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