Safe Yardwork

How to Rake and Winter-Proof Your Yard Without Injury

Oct 27, 2008
Kristin Colangelo

Yardwork Doesn't Have To Be a Pain - Kevin Rosseel

It's that time of year again -- time to get your yard ready for winter by raking and tackling yardwork chores. Here's a few tips to keep yourself safe and injury-free.

The beautiful fall colors are enjoyable for a while...and then you realize that those beautiful colors are all piling up in your yard and you need to rake them up. Suddenly autumn's splendor becomes a dreaded chore. If you follow these simple tips, you can help yourself avoid injury and get the maximum exercise benefit from your yardwork.

Stretch, Stretch, Stretch

One of the biggest reasons that people get injured from doing yardwork is because they don't treat it like the workout routine that it truly is. Before any workout, you should warm up your muscles by stretching. This improves blood flow which warms the muscles and primes them for strenuous activity. Muscles that are 'cold' (without warm-up) are more easily strained and even torn which causes serious injury.

Here are a couple easy stretches* to perform PRIOR to beginning any yardwork activity:

Reach for the sky - stand tall, raise your arms up to the sky while exhaling, then slowly bring them down to your sides while inhaling. Repeat 5 times.
Forward bend - stand with feet shoulder-width apart, slowly bend forward at the waist while exhaling, then slowly stand back up straight again while inhaling. Repeat 5 times.
Twist - stand, slowly twist at the waist to the left while exhaling and then inhale as you come back to center and then repeat while moving to the right. Repeat 5 times each direction.
Squats - stand with feet shoulder-width apart, slowly bend your knees while exhaling. Do not bend your knees farther out in front than your feet are planted - this can cause injury. Straighten knees slowly while inhaling. Repeat 5 times.
Arm cross - stand, slowly bring your straightened left arm across your body. Place your right hand on your left shoulder, slowly pull your left shoulder toward your body while exhaling. Release and repeat for opposite arm. Repeat 5 times each side.

Drink Your Water

Just like when you workout, you will sweat while you are raking and doing other yard chores. To combat dehydration and to help your body stay refreshed, keep a bottle of pure water handy and take liberal breaks to drink it. You should drink enough water so that you have to use the restroom at least every 90-120 minutes.

Take Regular Breaks

Be sure to take a short break at least every 15 minutes to get a drink of water and stretch gently if you feel yourself becoming stiff. This can help prevent strain and overwork.

Split Your Chores Into a Few Sessions

High impact yardwork is not meant to be done for hours at a time without breaks. If your yardwork will take more than three hours to complete, split it into two 90 minute sessions or three hour-long sessions.

Cool Down

When your chores are done, be sure to repeat the warm up stretches you performed to slowly cool down and stretch your muscles. Then go enjoy a warm bath - you've earned it!

In summary, it is easy to avoid injury from yardwork with a few simple tips. Be sure to stretch before and after your yardwork; drink lots of water while taking regular breaks during your chores and know when to say when by splitting large chores into several work sessions. Following these tips will make your yardwork more pleasant and much more safe.

*Ask your doctor first if these stretches are appropriate for your particular body.