Home Gardening is great recreation, but many gardeners "harvest" avoidable injuries before they harvest anything from their gardens. Although gardening seems relaxing and suitable for anyone, in reality it can involve some of the toughest physical work a person does all year. Even in a small garden, there's digging, raking, bending, reaching, lifting and carrying, which use muscles that perhaps haven't been exercised for weeks or months. Prospect Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation offers these tips to help gardeners avoid aches and injuries that physical therapists commonly end up treating.

1. Do stretching exercises before starting a gardening chore. Gardening is not a sport, but it still uses many muscles which need to be warmed up before putting them to work. Many aches and injuries are related to overuse of out-of-shape muscles.
2. Don't overdo it in the garden. Pay attention to your body, noting aches and pains, and stop when the work seems to be getting too hard. Use your common sense. Even two hours in the garden should be interrupted by stretching breaks at least every half hour. Stop for a drink to avoid dehydration, which can be hard on muscles.
3. Avoid bending your back or twisting at the waist by using your feet to move to your gardening. Most people plant themselves in one position and then work in every direction as far as they can. Instead, they should move and turn toward their work. Long-handled tools such as shovels and rakes should be used to minimize bending and twisting at the waist.
4. Lifting in the garden (or anywhere) should be done by bending at the knees, and not by bending the back. Move as close to what you're lifting as possible, so that you can lift it from inside the area covered by the span of your feet, if possible.
5. Let equipment and good tools make your work easier. For example, gardeners should use wheelbarrows or carts to carry large bags of mulch. They should get hand tools designed with grips or shapes which reduce stresses on users. Try out new tools for size and comfort in the store. When you grip tools, notice how comfortable they feel in those places where blisters or calluses might form. Pretend to use the tools, and compare how they "feel" in your hands, wrists, shoulders and back.

Keep these helpful hints in mind as you head to the garden this spring. You'll feel much better about it!

Running Tips:

Choosing the right pair of running or walking shoes can be an overwhelming task. It's staggering the amount of shoes available for runners and walkers alike. What are we to do?

The biggest and most common mistake novice runners make is to bargain shop for an inexpensive first pair of running shoes right off the shoe store clearance table, or worse, off the rack at a department store. Your shoes are important and your only major investment when on the road to fitness and performance. Go to a local running store where experienced salespeople are available to help you find the right shoe by assessing your training and biomechanical needs. Here in Maine, I recommend the Maine Running Company in Portland. (www.mainerunning.com )

Proper fit is key when investing in running shoes:

1. You should have about a thumb's width of room at the toe.
2. The shoes should hold your foot securely around the midfoot and at the heel.
3. The shape of the shoe should match the shape of your foot.