For my friend Cop Car, and anyone else who plans to garden vigorously this spring, here are a few warm-up movements to do, before you swing that ax!
These exercises are done to a slow count. Don’t hurry through them, and if they hurt, STOP!!
While standing, move your arms as though you were swimming forward., and then do the backstroke. Follow with side strokes to the left, and then to the right.
Shrug both shoulders forward several times, and then shrug both shoulders back several times.
Reach up left, and then right, as though picking apples. Reach forward. Reach left and right.
Extend your left arm to the left, and your right arm to the right. Move your arms in a huge circle, as though you were turning a giant doorknob. Reverse the direction.
Pretend that you are drawing back a taut bowstring….to the right, and then to the left.
And…with your arms extended, fling your arms to the left so that your left hand bumps your back (kidneys) and the right arm bumps the left shoulder. Reverse the direction of swing.
Keep in mind that these are all warm-up movements, and should be done slowly to wake up the joints. You can also do them as a cool down.
Our exercise guru always advises us NOT to do anything that hurts. I hope this helps.
Arrrgh!!!
It's just my state of mind!
Ax? you think I grab an ax to do yard work?
I’m not trusted with sharp things around here, I could hurt myself (I managed to stap myself with my small pruners the other day – fortunately it was just a small prick).
I’m with you, Bogie. My family knows better than to let me have anything with a sharp point on it!
I was snipping something the other day and actually cut into my finger. Darn, but those scissors were sharp! Luckily, we keep antibiotic ointment and bandaids within reach.
How about exercises for the lower back? Limp, limp . . . I’ve spent a few too hours in my yard over the last few days and I can barely bend over, let alone get out of a chair. I get into trouble when I think “just one more plant and I’ll quit.”
Buffy–Thanks for thinking of us. Advice on warmup is wasted on people like me. I believe that the human body is like the modern car–by “going slowly” for the first several minutes, one need not worry about an on-purpose warmup period. One advantage is that the correct muscles get warmed up. Cooling down is another matter. Unfortunately, cooling down also gets neglected in my work.
Bogie–I recall your having stabbed yourself in the hand with a pair of scissors when you were about 10 years old–trying to remove the cap off of Elmer’s glue. Fortunately, Dudette (13 years old) was nearby and got you into the bathroom while attracting my attention (AKA yelling Mama). We took you to the Dr (McKerracher? I think Moyer was not available) who just cleaned you up a bit and sent you home (maybe a tetnus shot?) Not much else to do with punctures.
Frankie–If you’re lucky, you’ll learn to cut down on “just one more”s by the time you get to be my age. Good luck!