Arthritis is a painful disease that 50 million Americans are suffering from every year. Don’t let arthritis take the joy out of your life. Knowing how to cope and adjust your lifestyle is half of the battle. The following are very simple tips that have been put together for arthritis patients to allow for a more enjoyable gardening experience.
Make a Game Plan for the Day. Before you begin a day in the garden, make a plan for yourself of specific tasks and a general time frame you are going to spend on each activity. This way if you start spending longer than expected on one area, you know you will need to take a break or move on. Doing the same motion for a prolonged period of time will only keep you from getting back in the garden. Instead, it is smart to mix up the type of activities you will be doing so that the work load can be shared amongst the body.
Properly Stretch and Warm Up. This part of the process is a part of making a plan for the day. It is smart to warm up your muscles depending on what type of gardening you will be doing. The following link provides a great Gardening Fitness warm-up routine that will help your body get in the groove of things. This website includes specific workouts and tips to master a great day in the garden. These tips include a warm-up walk as well as using soothing oils for the hands. http://voices.yahoo.com/clever-tool-tips-arthritic-gardeners-10514007.html?cat=5
Use the Right Tools. Tools are intended to make gardening easier, even though for a person with arthritis this may not feel like the case. Certain equipment has been developed specifically to combat the challenges that those will arthritis may run in to. This garden gear has longer handles and thus an easier grip to lessen the strain of working in the yard. If you are concerned it may affect your gardening, like anything practice makes perfect and soon you will get used to working with your new tools. If you are looking for somewhere to buy these products, below is a website where you can buy online. http://www.arthritissupplies.com/arthritis-gardening-tools.html
Also, whether or not the tools you are using are arthritis friendly or not, it is important to keep them sharp at all times. When a shovel is sharp, it is a lot easier to use and less pressure is needed to yield results.
Know Your Limits. At the beginning of gardening season, make sure that you start off slowly. Your body hasn’t used these muscles in a while and it could take some getting used to. Hire or ask someone to help you with the heavy weeding & lifting—these aren’t the reasons why you like to garden anyway.
Get Creative with Your Garden. Consistently crouching down in the flower beds of a garden can easily lead to a lot of discomfort and pain in joints. Instead of the traditional flower bed gardening, get creative with potting.
Hanging Plants are a great alternative because no bending over is required to take care of them. You can hang plants by themselves on a post, off the side of the garage /house, or even attach them to a backyard fence. This is not only a more visually pleasing option, but your back will be thanking you at the end of the day. Learn how to DIY here: http://www.shelterness.com/diy-colorful-vertical-garden-on-a-fence/
Raised Gardens are a solution for someone who still enjoys the idea of having a flowerbed. This type of structure provides the same typical gardening experience, without the hassle of having to get down on the ground to care for the plants. Raised gardens can be assembled from scratch, or can be bought pre assembled. If you are interesting in assembling your own raised garden, there are many instructional YouTube videos with more information.
Vertical Gardens are essentially very similar to the concept of a raised garden, but nearly as much space is needed to house one of these. This option provides elevated gardening at easy reach and little maintenance. This YouTube video gives a great demonstration of how to create your own vertical garden out of a wooden pallet, as featured here on the left. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOadilqJeeg&feature=related
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