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Gardening is a pleasant and relaxing activity, but it can be very painful if you don’t do it right! Here are seven habits to cultivate to help you enjoy gardening without hurting yourself.

1. Stay out of direct sunlight

“It’s best to garden when it’s cloudy outside. You avoid heatstroke and it’s much more comfortable,” says Joshua Jarry, horticultural information officer at the Montreal Botanical Garden.

2. Warm yourself up!

The golden rule: get properly warmed up. Gardening is a physical activity, so before putting on your gloves, take a few minutes to walk or stretch to get your blood circulating. Then rotate your wrists and ankles a few times.

3. Digging without hurting yourself

Lower the risk of back injury by using your body weight as leverage when shovelling earth. Align your body properly by taking note of the direction in which your shovel is facing. Be sure to maintain this alignment as you dig. If possible, support your weight on the shovel to avoid tiring too quickly. Then, when you throw the earth, use your whole body, not just your arms.

4. Lifting lightly

You’re not a machine; lifting bags of earth is simply not recommended for the back. We recommend bending at the hips and knees, rather than at the waist. The hips are more powerful and better equipped than the back to bear weight. Also, when you bend down, keep your spine straight.

5. Sit down

Weeding is perhaps one of the most arduous tasks in gardening. The good news is that there are many ways to reduce the risk of tension. Get yourself a stool—it’ll take the strain off your knees, hips and even your back, while allowing you to spend more time weeding, pain free. That said, if you have to bend forward to reach a weed, try to do so at the hip joint and avoid rounding your back. “Try to have the right equipment on hand and the necessary protection. For example, put a cushion under your knees to protect your knees, ankles and wrists,” advises Joshua Jarry, from the Botanical Garden.

6. Use a wheelbarrow

Wheelbarrows come in handy, don’t they?  But before emptying it, you’ll want to use the right body mechanics. Position yourself to take the weight from underneath, using an underhand grip. Then bend your hips and knees and keep your back straight to start the movement. Support your movement with your leg and pelvic muscles.

7. Alternate tasks and take breaks!

Gardening is not a marathon! Take breaks, ideally every 20 minutes, to straighten up or stretch your legs. Have a drink or sit down for a few minutes. Sometimes, a change of position will avoid overloading certain muscles and tendons.