After such a long hot summer, finally the crisp autumn weather has arrived. Yummy apple…everything, big knitted sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes and leaves. So many leaves- and unless you’re willing to deal with a stinky rotting mess come springtime, you need to deal with those leaves before the snow hits.
In the clinic we deal primarily with two types of patients- ones with injuries and others who are trying to prevent injury. Any health practitioner will tell you that prevention of injury is much easier and less time consuming than treating an already injured body.
Staying in generally good shape by conditioning (strength, flexibility and endurance exercises) will reduce your chance of overall injury, additionally, some tips and tricks to protect yourself from injury during this wondrous season include;
Warm up for at least 10 minutes prior to yard work
Stretch before and after each activity
Keep good posture and stand upright
Alternate your hands and grip on the rake (switch your bottom hand on a regular basis)
Bend from the knees, not with your back, when stooping or picking up foliage
Pace yourself- divide your lawn into sections so you can work away at it over a few days so as to not over exert yourself
Stay hydrated and take breaks
Accumulate leaves into small piles as they’re easier to transfer into bags and reduce the amount of work
Rake dry leaves- they’re lighter and require less effort to move
When in doubt or with previous injury, there’s always a mulching mower option (or the neighbourhood kids looking for a couple extra bucks)
Follow these tips and you’ll be sure to LEAF injuries behind you so you can FALL more in love with the season, not just the pumpkin spice.
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