If you are lucky enough to have a garden, April is the time of year when more people venture outside to tackle jobs, mow lawns, and begin planting. We know that being out in the fresh air is great for the soul, and gardening itself can help us get stronger. However, this is also the time of year when we see problems arise after long stints working in the garden.

Our top tips to help you keep enjoying your time in the garden include:

• Pace Your Time in the Garden: Avoid going from 0 to 100 in a day. Gradually increasing the time you spend on gardening tasks helps to build up your tolerance to the physical demands of the activity. This reduces the risk of overuse and straining type injuries.

• Regularly Change Gardening Tasks: Alternate between different tasks, such as 15 minutes of digging followed by 15 minutes of high pruning. This allows your body to change positions and engage different muscles.

• Take Breaks to Enjoy the Garden: Sit down or take a stroll to enjoy the beauty of your work rather than just focusing on the tasks at hand.

• Exercises to help make you Stronger when Gardening:Fergus, one of our physiotherapists, has created a video featuring his 3 favourite exercises that strengthen hip and pelvic stability, helping to create a strong base for moving and digging. If you have weakness in these areas, these exercises will also benefit your walking, running, and stair climbing.

If you’d like further exercise guidance, we also offer our On-Demand/video library. This contains lots of back healthy classes, and a large variety of chair-based, standing, and balance sessions. These can be done at your own pace and whenever you want.