Healthier Gardening

15 tips to keep your hobby safe and enjoyable

Green Pastime

Quick: what is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of hypertension, osteoporosis, and depression? How about digging in the dirt?

Studies find that gardening is one of the best physical activities going when it comes to preventing or improving chronic health conditions. Plus, the stress-relieving benefits of watching something grow, of breathing in the scent of flowers, of picking a sun-kissed tomato from your own backyard, are legion.The key is not to overdo it or do it wrong. These 15 tips will enable you to remain healthy while gardening for health.

1. Stretch for five minutes before heading out to the garden. Focus on your hamstrings, back, and arms.

2. Dress for gardening. That means wearing sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher and reapplying it every couple of hours. Also put on bug spray, a hat, sunglasses, and a light, long-sleeved shirt that covers most of your neck, says Kathleen W. Wilson, M.D., an internist at the Ochsner Health Center in New Orleans and author of When You Think You Are Falling Apart.

3. Call 800-222-1222 to request free magnets or stickers bearing the local Poison Control hotline number. Keep them by the telephone and with your gardening supplies in case you or someone near you is bitten by a snake or contaminated with pesticides or other garden chemicals.

4. Bend with your knees and take frequent breaks from bending over. Back strain is a common gardening injury, says fitness expert Mare Petras. Other good options to avoid strain are to carry a small stool with you to sit or lean on while weeding, and to use knee pads to protect your kneecaps from rocks and hard ground.

5. Check the pollen index before heading outdoors. This is particularly important if you suffer from allergies or asthma. Also, forgo gardening on days of high heat and humidity, when many areas issue ozone alerts. The heavy air could cause problems if you have any respiratory issues.

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As a judge, I was sentencing criminal defendants when I saw a vaguely familiar face. I reviewed his record and found that the man was a career criminal, except for a five-year period in which there were no convictions. "Milton," I asked, puzzled, "how is it you were able to stay out of trouble for those five years?" "I was in prison," he answered. "You should know that—you were the one who sent me there." "That's not possible," I said. "I wasn't even a judge then." "No, you weren't the judge," the defendant countered, smiling mischievously. "You were my lawyer." Read More

-- Philip R. Riley